Born Mad

Chapter Eleven: The Doctor's a Nurturer in Nature

I sat up with a grin, easily ignoring the protests of every limb in my body. "Hey, you two! Wake up!"

I couldn't help but laugh as my dear companions startled awake at my words, causing the doctor to fall backwards out of his chair while pulling the detective down with him.

"What is it, Aurora?" Holmes nearly groaned from his place sprawled out on the floor whereas Watson merely got up with a stifled grunt before coming to my side with a tired "Morning."

"Well, sorry to disturb your sleep, Sleeping Beauty, but I think I know where you need to look."

"Care to explain how you discerned this in your sleep?"

"M'kay. So when I sleep, my mind usually doesn't let my subconscious control anything so it's like I'm awake, except everything I do when sleeping, I don't intend to do. Yeah, I'm a natural oddity. ...Anyways, as I was saying, my mind was still unconsciously working on figuring out where that passageway was when I 'remembered' something."

"Still doubting the possibility of that, but I'm coming to see that you are not usually restrained by the impossible," Snappy-Pants grumbled in annoyance before saying more clearly and meeting my eyes, "Care to elaborate on what you deemed so important?"

"You see, Mister Holmes, when I was younger, about four years-old, I was kept in cell number 376A. Well, I remember always tapping at the cell floor. You want to know why?"

Snappy-Pants cracked a grin. "It sounded hollow."

"That it did! I noticed the stone was settled in different ways, but the center of the flooring was more worn and cracked. Doc, would you care to venture a guess?"

"Whenever you were taken from the cell, most likely for meals or something of the sort, they would remove the tiling in some way and enter the passageway."

"Exactly! And you want to know what makes it even more clear that that's where the tunnel is? Just as soon as I began to poke around, I was moved to a different cell. It's perfect!"

"Besides the point where you've been tortured beyond compare in the past twelve years of your life," Holmes added absentmindedly, but I merely scoffed.

"Minute details. Now go on, Snappy-Pants. Head on to your investigation while I take a nap. Good? Good."

"I am not continuing this investigation without my blogger or client," Holmes answered with dismissal. "The last time you were alone, you were put through quite literally your worst nightmare."

"Well then, I'll just have to come with you; now won't I?"

I was out of the bed and ushering them out before they could protest it, and within a strenuous two and a half minutes, I was dressed and attempting to replace my sling and bandages.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow..." I sputtered, carefully slipping my sling back on around my neck and setting that sorry excuse for a left arm into it as I made my way to Watson's bag, stealing the gauze and moving to the small bathroom mirror as I tentatively pried off the bandages covering most of my head. I ignored the pale, horrific creature staring back at me in the mirror as I leaned in close, turning my head and lifting my hair so I could see the awful gash I knew existed from that fall.

"Oi. Well, I won't win any beauty pageants anytime soon."

The slice ran from the base of my skull diagonally up towards my right ear and ending right at my temple. I immediately knew it was going to scar, but maybe if I parted my hair in a certain way, it could cover it... Meh, what do I care? It's a battle scar, and it symbolizes my triumph! ...and near death experience.