Lockwood and Co: Before the Company

Chapter One: When I Met Him

Gravedigger Sykes ran a tight ship in his company, and I, Evelyn Price, was one of his star pupils. He even let me take on small jobs by myself from time to time. Type Ones, of course, but it still made me feel special. He was confident in my rapier skills which, and I say this in the most humble way possible, were stellar, and my procedural knowledge was definitely up to code. Finally, Sykes told me I would be getting my apprentice, the one thing I was still patiently awaiting from him. I had my fourth grade, I had plenty of experience in the field, and my dorm room was quite lonely since my own mentor passed. Her name was Merilyn, and she had been so very committed to her job. She loved it, and she was so good at what she did. I often wonder whether or not she would have preferred to survive to an age where she lost her abilities. Her job was her life. I guess we always sort of knew this would be the only way she would leave our company.

That aside, I think she trained me well enough to be a wonderful mentor for any young girl looking to become a respectable agent. Only, I apparently wasn't getting a girl apprentice. That was a shocker. When Sykes said I would be training a boy, I was stunned.

"It's not standard, but you'll be a perfect pair," he had told me. How could some random nine-year-old boy be a perfect pair with me. Sykes explained something about "shared trauma" and how this kid's parents died in a tragic car accident, and, very recently, his sister was killed by a Visitor right in front of him. My heart broke for the boy. It's true that I had also lost my family. Well, I only lost my dad, but he was all I had anyways. I never knew my mother because she died when I was born, but my dad had always been there. At least he had always been there until I was seven years old when he died during supper. They said it was a stroke, a freak act of nature that couldn't have been helped, though it was terrifying to see, nature or not. Luckily, Sykes had a set of dormitories for his trainees that had nowhere else to go. He took me in after that.

Boy or girl, I was determined to be a great mentor. I spent the entire morning straightening out our dorm room. One of the main reasons Sykes typically paired girls with girls and boys with boys was because he liked for the pairs to spend all their time together, including nights. This was helpful when they had an investigation that ran late, so they wouldn't have to wake another roommate. Anyways, the room wasn't much. There were two beds, one rumpled and worn, and another that had laid untouched for months. There were also two small dressers, and one desk that we would share. There was also a little wooden shelf that jutted from the white walls. Half of the shelf had framed photos of me and my father, and two of the hooks below it held my jacket and work belt. The other side was barren. It had collected quite a bit of dust until now when I, armed with a duster and broom, had aggressively tidied everything in the room. I even reorganized my side of the closet by color. I had thought of everything. The skull lamp that sat on my dresser, freshly polished, filled the room with its glow. Everything was ready, and I was satisfied with my work. By the time Sykes called me down to meet my new apprentice, the room looked like it belonged in a magazine.

When I reached the foyer where Sykes waited, my eyes were immediately met by two glittering, deep, brown eyes. The little boy was tall for a nine-year-old, I suppose, but he was still a slight little thing. His mop of dark hair looked almost like it would topple him over if it caught a breeze just right.

"Evelyn, I would like you to meet your new apprentice, Anthony Lockwood," Sykes gestured at the boy. Anthony Lockwood seemed to have a permanent pout on his face. He was a sad little boy. He looked afraid to trust any of us. I tried so hard not to let it phase me.

"Hi, Anthony," I crouched down so that I was lower than his eyeline. I think I read somewhere that that made children feel less threatened. Or maybe it was cats or something. It didn't hurt to try. "I'm Evelyn." He still had his apprehensive pout. Perhaps he had been hoping for a boy.

"Why don't you take Anthony up to your room," Sykes handed me the larger of the two bags the my new partner had brought. I lifted it onto my shoulder as I stood and Anthony Lockwood hoisted his up as well.

"Let's go, Anthony, it's not far," I said.

"Don't call me that," the boy whined, "only my family can call me that." He frowned and looked away in a huff.

"How about Lockwood? Do you prefer that?" I adorned the same sort of concerned, empathetic look that my father had mastered, complete with a slight head tilt and subtle brow furrow. I think it worked because the boy looked back at me, and, after a brief, stubborn pause, he gave a proud nod of his head. I chuckled and offered him my hand, "Come on then, Lockwood. If we get you settled fast enough, I may even get to show you how to use a sword before supper." His eyes lit up a bit when I mentioned the sword, and he took my hand gently, following closely through the unfamiliar halls.

When we got to the room, the light of my skull lamp lit up his pale face like porcelain. In fact, he reminded me of a doll more than anything else. Lockwood took in his surroundings without letting go of my hand. I brought him towards his bed.

"This is your bed," I said, "and you have this whole side of the room to do with as you please." I let go of his hand made large gestures with my arms to make the room seem grander than it truly was. I looked back at Lockwood and his face remained pensive. It was jarring. You never expect to see that look on such a little kid. I wondered what might lighten the situation, and that's when I remembered, "I have a gift for you!" I said cheerily as I placed his bag down on his bed, "I had almost forgotten!" I walked towards a tin bucket I kept in the corner of the room. It held two rapiers, one with a black iron hilt that swirled delicately around the handle from which a supremely sharp blade extended, and one with a much simpler hilt and a blade that was sharp enough to get the job done and dull enough to be trusted in the hands of a trainee. The latter also had a large red bow tied around the handle. "This is your rapier. It may look plain, but once you have mastered the weapon you can get one with a bit more style." I held out the sword to Lockwood and his eyes glittered. I almost saw a smile cross his face for a brief moment. I could tell that the boy had a brilliant smile if he would use it. I made it my mission from that point on to see that smile.

"Show me how," Lockwood looked at me bright eyed as he took hold of the rapier hilt. I chuckled at his eagerness. "You promised! You said before supper!" My amusement clearly upset him. He clearly was very serious about his swordsmanship.

"I did promise," I said, easing the rapier from his hands and carrying it back to the bucket, "I also said you needed to get settled first."

After I said that, he shot me a look with his eyes narrowed, then sprang into action. I have never seen someone unpack their belongings with such speed and purpose. He would be a great student, I could tell.