Vile groaned. “You’re making me out to be some abusivehuman, brother. I’m not such a pedant. My schemes are far more grandiose than that.” He walked away from the end of the aisle. “Come along, Sasha. We have a story to choose.”
“No, we won the last story, so we chose the next one,” Virtue argued.
“Hardly! Sasha most decidedly won the last story.” Vile turned to face them again.
Sidney went to join the forming argument between the demigods, with Sasha following close beside her. This involved them both. And if this was choosing the next story, it was a matter of life or death.
“But she did so doing a heroicact.” Virtue smiled. “Therefore, the heroes won, and the heroes get to choose.”
“No. Sasha won by performing a cowardly act of mutiny. Mr. Smee overthrew Captain Hook to take control of the pirates. The story ended before we even know whether or not he chose to surrender to Peter Pan or slaughter the remaining Lost Boys.” Vile adjusted one of his cufflinks, looking quite bored with the situation. “The ending was ambiguous, but the winner is clear.”
Virtue went to argue again, then let out a heavy sigh. “Darn it.”
“It’s all right.” Sidney smiled, nervously. “We’ll get to pick the next one.” What was certain death at the hands of whatever horrifying story Sasha chose? Right?
Virtue reached out to take her hand. She took it, and he gently pulled her close beside him. “That’s right. And I’ll keep you safe. I promise.”
She believed him. She really, honestly did.
Turning her attention to her sister, she frowned. She had Virtue to keep her company and keep her safe. Vile was standing some ten feet away from Sasha, looking at her like a hungry animal. And Sasha had an expression on her face like she was doing her level best not to scream or cry. Or both.
“Well, Sasha darling? Where are we going next?”
“Please, no horror,” Sidney couldn’t help but whine as she said it. “I just—not after what we just put up with.”
“So no fairy tales either.” Sasha chuckled. “Because I don’t know if you’ve read the original ones, but, yikes.”
“Seriously?” Sidney blinked.
“Seriously. Go look up ‘Sleeping Beauty’ if you want to cringe.” Sasha chewed her lip as she thought. “Honestly,Draculais probably a safer story than anything out of the Brothers Grimm but, no, we won’t start there.”
“Damn.” Vile snapped his fingers.
After a long pause, Sasha smiled. “I’ve got one. Should be relatively safe. And it might give us some room to maybe come up with a unique story and win this stupid game.”
“I highly doubt that, but I can’t wait to see you try.” Vile strolled up to her, still with that rarely-faltering smile on his face. “Where are we headed, dear?”
When she said it, Vile’s instant laughter made Sidney wonder if they weren’t in for much more of a challenge than Sasha had bargained for.
“Sherlock Holmes.”
SHERLOCK HOLMES
AND THE PROBLEM OF THE TROLLEY
By Sasha Lancaster
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Sasha was slowly but surely starting to adjust to simplybecoming aware of herselfwhile standing somewhere inexplicable. It was what she imagined having a bad case of sleepwalking must feel like. Just one minute being unconscious, and the next blinking into existence mid-task.
Although, she assumed most people in the modern day didn’t suddenly appear in full Victorian garb sitting in the back of a lecture hall that was very obviouslynotin America. She winced and immediately straightened her back.Corsets. Right. Corsets are a thing.At least this time, she got to be a woman—who precisely she was pretending to be? She had no idea.
She was all the way in the back of the gallery in a lecture hall—obviously not attending as arealstudent, but likely allowed to simply observe the lecture. Her dress looked fairly expensive and well-kept. A woman of some resources and fairly high standing. Not nobility—they wouldn’t show their faces in a college—but some wealth. An interesting clue, but no answers. A small clutch in her lap held a few folded up pound notes, a folding mirror, some makeup, and…a small derringer.
A woman of some wealth, who carried a gun into a lecture hall.Now she had a theory, but she wasn’t going to jump to conclusions.Fun.
It was immediately clear who Vile was playing.
