Chapter 13

Sherlock’s POV

John and I took a seat in the school’s gymnasium, waiting for the assembly to begin. There were too many people in there for my liking, it made for too much stupid in the room. I already knew why we were there. There was a school camp coming up, just before the holidays. Camps were daft. I’d have to leave my experiments in the dorm and pray that they’d not be disturbed.

“May I have some silence, please,” Mycroft’s voice echoed around the room, and everyone shut up, except for the few girls who were gushing over my brother. I rolled my eyes. Even the sound of my brother’s voice irritated me. “Now, some of you may know, there will be a camp in a few weeks time for all year 11 students. The trip will go on for two weeks, and will take place at a resort a few hours out of town. A permission slip has already been sent out to your parents, and you can discuss with them whether or not you want to do on the camp.”

Everybody talked excitedly over each other, and try as my dear brother might, he couldn’t get anyone to be quiet. Eventually, Mycroft had the ingenious –note my sarcasm – idea to place the microphone by the speaker, causing a loud, high pitched noise to ring through the gym, making everyone cry out and cover their ears. It got them quiet, at least.

“Thank you, now I can continue,” Mycroft said, a smug smile on his face. “Your dorm captains will have sheets of paper with them, where you can choose who you share a room with, and it is two per room. Please note we will be going to a luxury resort, and so we expect the best behaviour of all of you. That is all.”

Everyone jumped up and tried to get out the door, getting jammed until one person squeezed out with the rest of us following. I took John’s hand, and pushed through the other students, and soon we were out into the fresh air. Everyone around us rushed to their dorms to find their dorm captains. I reluctantly let go of John’s hand, and we waited outside the gymnasium until Mycroft came out. We began walking with him to his office.

“What’s become of Anderson?” I asked him, looking around to make sure no one else was around.

“He’s in hospital at the moment with a fractured collar bone, concussion, and severe internal bruising, but once he gets out he’ll be expelled from this school.”

“How are his parents taking it?”

“Oh, they knew it was going to happen eventually.”

I nodded, with my hands clasped behind my back. “Alright. Oh, and by the way, look up all the students at this school with the initials ‘JM.’ Anderson mentioned it, I think he was up to something else as well.”

“I will do, and I shall contact you with information once I have it.”

We parted our separate ways, and John and I went to go find Greg, who was our dorm captain. “His name is Gavin, right?”

“Greg,” John told me, rolling his eyes. “His name is Greg. Why don’t you remember that?”

“Deleted it, it was not worthy of my space.”

“Even though he is your brother’s partner?”

“Nope,” I replied, popping the ‘p’.

John chuckled, his shoulders lifting and eyes crinkling at the corners in the way I loved. “You, Sherlock Holmes, are one of a kind.”

“Thanks… I think.”

We found Lestrade and eventually we got up to see him, once all other year 11 students were gone. “You too want to be in a room together?” Lestrade asked.

“Obviously,” I replied, rolling my eyes.

Lestrade looked around to make sure no one else was near us, and when that was confirmed he said, “And you do realise this means no sexual activity?”

John began to splutter and I laughed. “Oh, Lestrade, I think you and my dear brother are the ones we have to be concerned about. You’re coming along, are you not?”

“Well… Yeah, but nothing’s gonna happen,” Lestrade said.

I snorted. “Right, okay then.”

Lestrade began to protest but I pulled John away to our next classes, leaving the older boy agitated and embarrassed.

“You have to stop that,” John said, though I could hear the amusement in his voice.

“Stop what?”

“Stop annoying him. One day it’ll come back to bite us on the arse.”

“You’ve said that before.”

“I know, and I’m saying it again.”

I rolled my eyes. “Fine,” we had come to my class. “I’ll see you later.”

“Bye.”

With that, John walked off to his next class.

I went and sat in my seat in my art class, and waited as the teacher took the registration. Once he had finished with that, I saw him look up at the door, a look of surprise on his face. Mycroft entered the room and whispered something in the teachers ear, before signalling to someone to come in. A boy stepped into the room, dressed immaculately in the school uniform, his black hair slicked back, and his dark brown, almost black eyes gleamed as they fixed upon me. His lip curled up in a sort of contorted smile, and I looked up to see Mycroft giving me a look.

“This, class, is James Moriarty,” said the teacher. Ah, that’s what that look was about. JM. “He will be in our class for the rest of the year, and will be joining you all on camp.”

Everyone greeted James, before he was told to take a seat, the only spare one being beside me. Everyone continued on with their work while talking to each other.

“Hi,” James said to me, looking over my shoulder at my sketchbook, which I moved away. His voice was soft and smooth, with an Irish lilt. I wouldn’t let his voice trick me. I knew he was lethal as soon as I saw him.

“Please don’t feel the need to converse with me I…” My voice trailed off and I looked at him for a moment. I changed my mind. Talking to him could help me out. I forced a smile to my face. “Hello,” I finally replied. “Sherlock Holmes,” I reached my hand across to shake his.

“James Moriarty, but please, call me Jim,” Jim shook my hand, and I felt a strange jolt go through me. It wasn’t a pleasant one, like the one I felt whenever John and I touched; this was something that seemed almost dark… Dangerous, even.

I pulled away, and continued drawing my picture, which was a detailed picture of John’s eyes. I felt Jim’s eyes on me the whole time. I looked up at him. “Can I help you with something?”

“Erm, yeah, what’re we doing?”

“We’re meant to be drawing the first thing that comes to mind.”

“And someone’s eyes come to mind first for you? How sweet. Are those your girlfriend’s eyes?”

I froze. “No, they’re not my girlfriend’s eyes.”

“Ah,” Jim said thoughtfully, before looking at the sketchpad he had pulled out in front of him, and he began sketching.

I took a moment to deduce him. Well groomed, from a rich family, and was gay, judging by his quite visible pants. “Gay,” I said aloud.

“I’m sorry?” He turned to me with a smile.

“Nothing, nothing,” I replied before getting back to my work.

A plan started to form in my mind, but I knew it would all be a challenge for me, as I could tell Jim wasn’t like other people, he was like me… He was me, and he and I both knew it.

John’s POV

Sherlock came into the dorm after school with an excited look in his eyes. “What’s up?” I asked.

“A game. The game is on, John!”

“What do you mean?” I asked him, standing up.

“JM! It’s Jim Moriarty!” Sherlock picked me up off the ground and spun me around happily, before placing me back on the ground, kissing me passionately. He stepped away, and began tapping away at his phone.

I sighed and sat back down, going back to reading To Kill a Mockingbird. When Sherlock got in a mood like this, he wouldn’t come out of it lightly.