Scarlet Epiphany Jones

The Beginning

"Yes? Hello? Oh, Auntie Hudson, how are you? Yes, yes. I'm at school. Please come and pick me up. Thanks. Bye, bye. See you in 5." Says Scarlet. It was a dark, rainy, winter afternoon, and Scarlet Epiphany Jones was waiting outside her senior high school, called Royal London School for Gifted Seniors, otherwise known as the RLSGS. Scarlet is 16, her birthday was just yesterday, on the 6th of January, 1996. Her long, flaming red hair was floating behind her in the wind, as she heard the black Mazda pull up next to her. She got into the front seat and quickly closed the door.

"So. How was your day, sweetie?" Says Mrs. Hudson, known by Scarlet as Auntie Hudson.

"Oh, you know. The usual. I got up, had History, then Science, then Math, and I had English last. You know in English we're studying mysteries, right?"

"I didn't know that! How's it going?" Replies Mrs. Hudson.

"It's great! We're reading this book called The Watching Man, and five minutes into the story I guessed who the murderer was and Ms. Wellington was speechless!"

"Oh. Uh, is that so?" Said Mrs. Hudson slowly.

"Yes! Is something the matter?" Asks Scarlet, as her eyebrows raise and her stomach does a somersault. Isn't she proud of me? Thought Scarlet.

"Uh, um no! No, of course everything's fine! That's amazing. I wish I could do something like that." Mrs. Hudson reassures her with a squeeze of her hand, puts the key in the ignition and starts the car. The silence grows bigger as they leave the school, and they have a long drive ahead of them, of course, when they are going all the way from South Watson's Bay to 221a Baker Street. The silence grows bigger still, and is finally interrupted by Scarlet's cat, Baskerville, when he meows as they come through the door. He hisses at Mrs. Hudson, then jumps onto Scarlet's lap and purrs as she strokes his midnight black fur.

"Auntie Hudson?"

"Yes, dear?"

"This may seem a bit random, but why is there a skull sitting on the set of drawers? Oh, is it real?" Scarlet asks, and again feels her stomach getting ready for more gymnastics. She's never liked bones and the insides of our bodies.

"Erm, why, yes. It is a, um, a friend." Replies Mrs. Hudson uneasily.

"Ok!" Scarlet laughs, she thought this was all a joke. Mrs. Hudson smiles, goes to the kitchen and starts heating up leftovers. She sets the table, only two spots, the same as it's been for the past 16 years.

"Eat up!" Sings Mrs. Hudson, as she devours her plate. It's been a long day for her. She switches on the tv, a tiny, square shaped television with static film. Remember, this is 1996. They watched and ate in silence, and Mrs. Hudson's expression grew darker and her face became older. It was the first time Scarlet noticed the wrinkles etched into her face, and her green eyes turned grey.

"Auntie Hudson?" Scarlet asks in a small voice. She's never seen Mrs. Hudson like this before.

"Scarlet, honey. I need to tell you something extremely important. Something...you don't know. No one knows." Says Mrs. Hudson, her dark expression replaced by something more serious and her eyes turned their usual green. Scarlet felt a lump forming in her throat, her stomach getting ready for a double-triple back flip, but forces it down.

"Yes?" Says Scarlet, her stomach getting on the trampoline.

"Well, I don't know how to say this so I'm just going to say it. It's about your father...and your mother." Scarlet couldn't process this. Her stomach finally did that double triple back flip, and she swore she felt her supper in her mouth.

"I-I...I have a father? And a mother? Well I know I-I have a-a mother, because y-your my mother, r-right?" Scarlet asks, her voice trembling uncontrollably.

"No, dear. I'm sorry. Your mother left you and your father when you were born, she took off with another man." Scarlet's heart started to race, and she felt it in her throat. She didn't say anything.

"And your father...well, it's a long story. He and a friend rented out one of my flats, 221b Baker Street, the one right next to us. They were both famous, famous detectives, and they solved many crimes. Your father, well, he was a genius. There had been a mass murder when you just turned one, and sadly, he and his friend had to leave London and fly to Hawaii to solve this case. He asked me to take you in and raise you as my own, and he told me to tell you this story when I felt the time was right. And so, I think this is the right time. Your father is, I'm not sure how to say this so I am just going to say it, well...His name is Sherlock. Sherlock Holmes. And his friend is John Watson." Mrs. Hudson explained this all very quickly and had run out of breath. She knew this was a lot to take in in one night, and she hoped that Scarlet would understand.

"..." Scarlet was silent with disbelief.

"E-excuse me for a minute." Said Scarlet quickly, and raced through the hall to her room.