Walking Toward the End

I was woken to rapping on my door.
"Eveline," Mrs. Hudson called, "your friend's here.''
"Coming," I croaked.
Quickly, I changed into a green t-shirt and black cargo pants, then side-braided my hair with a red bandanna as a headband.
I stepped into the sitting room.
"Emma!" I grinned.
Emma was sitting there in her standard denim shorts and salmon tank top, with a her dirty-blonde hair pulled into a messy bun. I hadn't seen her since she had to leave Australia midterm.
"Hey Evie!" She hugged me.
"What're you doing here? Shouldn't you be in America?" I asked.
"Because..." She brought out a perfectly-wrapped, silver package. "Happy birthday!"
I laughed. "But my birthday isn't for another two months."
She shrugged. "This was the only time I could come."
I hugged her again. "Well, thanks anyway. You hungry?"
"Yes!" She replied. "I'm always hungry."
I smiled. She can eat like an elephant but never gains any weight. I lead her to the kitchen and brought out bacon and eggs.
I gave the bacon to her to fry as I made scrambled eggs.
"Pass the salt," I told her, reaching in front her.
She hip-bumped me. "Hey! I can't see!"
"Pass the salt and I'll let you see"
She refused to pass it until I moved, so I hip-bumped her back. Which of course, she did it back to me.
"No-just-give me-the salt!"
We stood there in a battle of the sides and probably looking ridiculous.
"Problem?" Sherlock was standing right behind us.
I gave a start and almost hit Emma's face with my spatula.
"Don't make me put a cat bell on you," I threatened.
"I could just take it off," he reasoned.
"I will staple it into you," I hissed.
Emma stood there, obviously trying not to laugh at our conversation.
"Oh, right," I remembered, "Emma, this is Sherlock. Sherlock...Emma."
Sherlock nodded and started rummaging through the cupboards.
"Yeah, he's..." I paused, trying to think of a word. "Something."
I reached over her again, but just spilled the salt.
"That's bad luck," Emma cooed. "Be prepared."
She grinned at me creepily and made a weird noise in her throat.
I rolled my eyes. "You had gummy bears on the plane, didn't you?"
She jumped. "And hot chocolate!"
"Well, then." I gave her her plate and she took a bite, "Watch your eggs."
She coughed, partially choking on her eggs. "Wh-what?"
I raised my eyebrows.
She stared at me; she didn't put it past me to do something to her food.
"Kidding!" I smiled.
Emma sighed and took another bite.
"Maybe"

"Have you seen the anesthetic?" Sherlock asked me.
I eyed Emma and she spit her eggs into her napkin. "I'm...not hungry anymore."
"I didn't put enough to put you to sleep, just so you wouldn't be like a rabbit with a Monster drink," I sighed. "Top cabinet, the very back. Where are you going?"
"I have to find a sheep," he replied, walking out the door.
"Don't bring it back here again!" I shouted after him.
Emma looked at me an eyebrow raised.
"It's one of his experiments," I told her as I took a bite of my breakfast. "So, what do you want to do today? I could take you to Big Ben."
"I've always wanted to go there!" She finished off her bacon. "When?"
I shrugged. "Whenever, I guess. John's at work and Sherlock shouldn't need anything."
"You know what I brought?" She asked. "Mario Kart!"
I smirked. "I will crush you."
"Never"
That's the thing about Emma and I being together. We got completely immature, forgetting about the consulting-detective image.

"See?" I said, "I'm already in third place!"
"That's good for you," Emma replied.
I looked on to her screen for a second.
"What?! How did you get to first?!"
She chuckled as she passed the finish line.
"Oh my god! I hate you!" I laughed.
I tossed her the Nintendo DS back.
"Come on, let's head out."
I put on my coat and combat boots as Emma put on her pale pink converse.
"Are you going to be warm enough?" I asked her. She wasn't exactly dressed for London in the fall.
"I'll be fine, Mother. Can we go now?" She replied.
"Hey, don't get snappy with me!" I scolded with a smile as I grabbed her a jacket, knowing she'd get cold. "Mrs. Hudson, we're heading out!"
We hailed a cab. "We could go to the London Eye, too," I suggested.
Emma squealed. "Yes!"
I chuckled. She acted like we were still the little girls in year three, annoying the boys and beating them at spelling tests. Then there was always that one boy that I always tied with, and that Emma could never beat.
"Could we get fish and chips? The ones in America are just sad compared to here," Emma asked.
I nodded, but my eyes were on the Ferris wheel. I'd driven past it more times than I could count, and it had never spun that fast.
We approached it and I started getting a bad feeling.
"Emma, I don't think we should go on it...it doesn't seem safe..."
"Come on, Evie, it's fine." She argued.
"I don't-"
"Look, if you don't want to go on it, why don't you go get the food? I should be back by the time you get it."
I let out a sigh, knowing arguing would be useless. "Fine, just be safe."
"You're getting more and more like my mom!"
-x-
I paid the cashier and went to find Emma. At the speed of the wheel, she had to have gotten back down by now. I reached the base of it and it was empty. The wheel had stopped completely.
"Nice on, Emma," I muttered.
I figured she would be out exploring, so I took a walk around as I started to eat the fish.
Around two blocks of walking, I noticed just about every building had a sticker in the window. A panda, badger, bumblebee... then I got to the fifth building. The sticker was a red picture of Emma.

I gave the fish and chips to a homeless lady on the street corner-just about four feet away- and pushed the door open. The walls were newly painted white. A black couch with multiple Japanese paintings, most only half finished, sat in the front room. I stepped up the creaky stairs. Yet more paintings on the walls, otherwise completely empty. A bald, pale man stepped in from the next room. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Emma, bound and gagged, trashing her head helplessly to get my attention. I ignored her. If I could do this right...
"We knew you'd come," the man in the suit said.
Thick New York accent. The suit couldn't possibly keep him cold; got here in a hurry. Earpiece; has to be ready to communicate immediately if something went wrong.
"I don't fancy the decoration much," I criticized.
"Now my house," he held his hands out.
Unarmed.
"Obviously," I replied, walking towards the corner opposite of Emma.
The paintings were home made, but clearly by someone with Japanese family, and he's not Japanese. I stood a foot away from the corner, admiring the samurai sword suspended on the wall. It could be real, or a very good replica. Either way it would work.
"I'm here on peaceful terms," he walked next to me, back facing the wall. A mistake.
I smirked. "Peaceful?"
As if I had practiced, I unsheathed the sword from the wall and slammed the hilt on his head. That disoriented him enough so I could pin him to the wall easily with the tip of the sword at his throat.
"Imagine your worst day and add the Titanic," I spat, "That is where the depths of my misery go, so don't patronize me, unless you want me to take it out on you."
I hit the hilt against his head once more and he crumpled to the ground.
I untied Emma and held her in my arms as her body shook.
"Are you okay? He didn't hurt you?" I asked her.
She shook her head.
I sat her down on the floor while I tied up the man in the chair.
"Be right back," I said, walking to the kitchen
I came back with an apple and stuffed it in his mouth. Next I took out my phone and dialed the number,
"Sherlock? Yes, I know. I need-yes. No. Okay great for you. I need you to call Lestrade, Emma's been kidnapped."
He hung up.
"Yeah, she's fine, don't worry!" I shouted into the phone.
The man woke up.
"Ah, great. Now, if you're good, maybe I won't feed you to the wolves,"

-x-

Sherlock stood by as the ambulance loaded the kidnapper in.
"And exactly how many times did he fall off the balcony?" Lestrade asked me.
I glanced at Sherlock, a teasing smile on my lips. "Sorry, Detective Inspector. I lost count."