THE DAY I MET HIM

Literature.

He was really clever, no I mean really clever.

Maybe that was why the others didn't like him?
He could easily run circles around them. His mind was a mystery.

We were in the same class for English, we'd often pair up when we were put in partners. Even if we didn't want to we would be anyway since everyone else had their group friends but us.

It was a Monday and we were both bored out of our minds. Since it was the beginning of the week and everyone else had just got back from visiting their family they were all exhausted. They were also getting ready to go home for the Christmas holidays. Everyone but me that was.

It was okay not seeing my family at the weekend like most other people because I had Sherlock to keep me company but the fact I couldn't even go home for the Christmas holiday was horrible. Surely my parents could have spared just a little time to give to their daughter. I knew they didn't care about me but it hurt watching the busy bustle of parents and siblings coming to pick up the other Pupils. The only time I got to go back to the family home was in the Summer, the only time my parents bothered to take time off their busy schedules. Surely it would have been easier to not have me, rather than dump me at a boarding school for most of the year because they couldn't bare to look at me.

Anyway, we were sitting with our heads resting on our hand to stop them falling asleep. Professor Smyth was nattering on about Shakespeare. He knew full well nobody was listening but her carried on regardless. He seemed to get more animated by each passing sentence. I don't even know how it's possible to get animated whilst talking about Shakespeare!

"In Macbeth there was this theme of order which played out through the entirety of the play. Now, the way Shakespeare portrayed the witches made it seem like they were at the very heart of all this disharmony.........."

Whilst he was droning on and on I began to hear snores growing louder and louder. I looked across the ancient oak desk to find the source of the sound; Sherlock!

I elbowed his side and hissed "Wake up, Sleepy! Smyth will take away an hour of free time if you don't get up, you know him..."

He begrudgingly opened one eye and looked across at me.

"Whaaaaaat?!" He groaned sleepily.

The bell shrilly rang out and echoed throughout the classroom. Everyone jumped up in joy and desperately rushed towards the door. Over the noise of stampeding feet you could hear the gait cries of the Professor

"Waaaait until I dismiss you!"

"Stop right there!"

Sherlock and I grabbed the mess of paper, textbooks and pens and scraped it into our bags. We figured there was no point running for the door since everyone would push past. As he often said, 'patience is key'.

As we waited for the busy crowd to die down the professor signalled to us. He sat down, took a swig from his flask of coffee and beckoned us.

We looked at each other and shared a confused look them wandered over to his desk. As we got over he placed the flask down with and echoing force.

"Since you are my best students," Sherlock and I raised our eyebrows "Okay fine, since you're the only two who actually listen to me I'd like to give you this...."

"Sir.......?" I said tentatively, having no idea what he was on about. He fumbled around in his desk and brought out a small wooden box. Sher and I shared another even more confused look.

Professor Smyth fumbled around with the lid since it was all stiff and rusty. Once he'd struggled it open he sighed and lifted out the solitary object inside of the box; a key.

"What's this, sir," Sherlock said as he handed the key over to us.

"Don't worry about that, my boy. Just you worry about keeping it safe!" He replied, eyes wide.

"Safe from who?" I questioned

"Don't let them get it!" He said with panic rippling with each word. "Right, off you go children. I wouldn't want them to get suspicious."

Completely bemused, Sherlock and I headed toward the door. I cradled the key in the palm of my hand.

As we reached out the the ancient door handle the professor addressed us once more.

"Children..." We turned around to look at him. "Stay safe."

****

We were in my dorm. The key was resting in the middle of the bed. Sherlock and I were perched on either side of the bed. We were both puzzling out what to do.

That look came onto his face, the 'I'm thinking so hard I might just explode look'. He got up and walked to look out of the small, dirty window which only allowed the tiniest slit of light through. As I shifted my weight the rusty bed springs creaked and screamed as if they were in agony.

My dorm was a small one, normally there was anything between six and ten in a dorm but mine had four. We did have seven. A long time ago. A couple of the girls left, nobody has anyone idea what happened to the other one. She just left one holiday and never came back.

I don't blame them, the rising Victorian walls and the cold, empty corridors that wound round the whole school weren't exactly welcoming. The whole school was falling apart, to be honest. Especially our dorm! The sickly yellow coloured paint was peeling off the walls and the cupboards where we stored our belonging barely opened to the ones of us that we're remaining didn't even take our stuff out of our suitcases.

None of the rest of them liked me, but I didn't like them so the feeling was mutual. Everyone else was at lunch so there was no fear of them coming back. That was for the best since Sherlock wasn't allowed in and they'd probably scream for matron if they caught him.

Sherlock was still staring out the window as if that would give him all the answers he needed.

"Okay, Sher. What are we going to do?" I said.

"Well what's the first question we need to ask?" He muttered

I thought for a second "Who's after the key...?"

"Wrong!" He exclaimed

"Well I don't know then! You tell me." I sighed. He was absolutely infuriating sometimes.

There was deafening pause where we were both silent. He kept his eyes fixated on something in the distance outside the window.

"We need to find out what the key opens,"