Elementary

After finally reaching the library, which Tristan felt like they were walking forever, Farrah stopped Tristan at the door. “Now look T.C, I haven’t told Mrs. McLeary that I was bringing anyone. So when we go in let me do all the talking and pretend you don’t know that the book is one of her own.” Tristan was confused. “Wait, why do I have to pretend I don’t know the book is hers? And why am I not allowed to speak?” He asked. Farrah sighed “Well, there’s some type of rule saying that she’s not allowed to give books that are not for sale while she’s working. It’s sort of like working at a store where you sell the company’s product. You can only sell their product on their property. Selling your own stuff on their property would be wrong. Get it?” Farrah looked at Tristan, who looked like he only got half of what she was saying. “But she’s not selling you the book. She’s lending you the book.” Tristan corrected. “Yes T.C, that’s correct but either way it’s not property of the library and she is an employee, so it would be wrong.” Farrah explained. They both looked at each other for a bit. Farrah hoped she had finally gotten through to him. “Oh! Okay, I understand now. Fine, I won’t say a word!” Tristan pretended to zip and lock his mouth shut. He then pretended to throw the imaginary key far off, turned and smiled at Farrah goofily. “Oh stop it. Come on let's go get that book. You’re such a goofball.” Farrah chuckled.

She opened the door to the library and held it for her friend. The library was big and had dozens and dozens of shelves filled with books about so many things. It was dimly lit but had enough light so that everyone was able to see their surroundings and the words written upon the pages of the books everyone else was reading. In between some shelves there were rectangular tables with small lamps on them, and in other corners were round tables with the same small lamps set upon them. The library smelled of books, and a hint of musty air. The only sounds that filled the air were the sounds of small whispers going on between people at different tables and the sound of turning pages from the dozens of books that were being looked through all around.

“Come on, she should be at the front desk.” Farrah said pointing ahead of her. They walked up to an old mahogany desk. At the desk was a woman with grayish blonde hair that was pinned up gracefully. She wasn’t very old, but you could see that she was old enough. She was about 56 or slightly older. She had a round face that had small wrinkles on her forehead, around her eyes, and the corners of her mouth. Despite the wrinkles, she looked very kind and soft spoken. “Good afternoon, Mrs. McLeary.” Farrah said politely. Mrs. McLeary looked up from the book she was reading and smiled at Farrah. “Oh hello dear. How are you today?” She said pleasantly. “Oh, I’m fine. Today was the last day of school for us.” Farrah said motioning towards Tristan and herself. Tristan simply smiled at Mrs. McLeary. Even though he loved reading as much as Farrah, he didn’t go to the library as much as her. Mrs. McLeary looked at Tristan and smiled. “Hello Tristan dear. I haven’t seen you here in a while. How are you?” She asked him. She was happy to see Tristan since he hardly visited. “I’m doing well, Mrs. McLeary. I’ve just been busy with last minute things, that’s all.” Tristan lied. He didn’t want to offend her by telling her that he had no interest in coming into the library, when there are book stores he can go to and actually keep the book. “Oh, well that’s lovely to hear dear.” Mrs. McLeary said to him. “Now, what can I do for you both today?” Farrah smiled politely and said “Remember the uh. . .book you said you’d have ready for me today?” Mrs. McLeary’s face changed from a smile into a serious face. Her mouth formed a tight thin line while she looked around. She then looked at Tristan and remembered that he didn’t (well wasn’t supposed to) know about the book. She stood up behind the desk and started walking towards the back of the library. “Follow me, children.” She said sternly.

The three of them walked towards the back of the library. Mrs. McLeary walked a few paces ahead of them. Tristan looked around all over then looked at Farrah. “Farrah, where is she taking us?” He asked nervously. “Hmm, I’m not sure. Maybe she’s taking us to the back room so she can give us the book without the feel of prying eyes on us.” She replied. They continued walking until they reached a big burgundy mahogany door. Tristan noticed they really like burgundy mahogany a lot. Mrs. McLeary took a bunch of keys out of her pocket, and unlocked the door. She held it open and motioned for them to go inside. Farrah and Tristan looked at each other curiously. Farrah walked in first. She was then followed closely behind by Tristan, and finally Mrs. McLeary. She closed the door behind her, turned around and looked at the two of them. There they stood in a room, no bigger than the average bedroom. It was dimly lit, like the rest of the library, but you can obviously see that there were more books in this room. In fact, it was a circular room; and instead of regular walls, there were bookshelves surrounding them. There was only one exit, and that was the way they came in. All that stood in the room was, yet another, burgundy mahogany table with four matching chairs.

Mrs. McLeary motioned for them to sit down at the table while she went to one of the shelves. She was clearly searching for something, for she was frantically looking through all the books on the shelves. Tristan and Farrah looked at each other. “Ok, so this room has a bunch of other books, but no one is allowed in here?” Tristan asked confused. Farrah shrugged and started to answer, but Mrs. McLeary interrupted. “This is the restricted section, Mr. Cage. No one is allowed in this room without the knowledge or supervision of any senior employee here at the library. That means only two people have the key. Mr. Johnson and myself.” She looked back at Tristan for a moment then went back to searching for her lost item. “Oh.” Tristan said feeling a little bit guilty for saying it in such a tone, and a bit embarrassed for Mrs. McLeary hearing him. Farrah tried to stifle a giggle after witnessing what had happened but failed miserably. Tristan shot her a look and she instantly stopped giggling. She had her hand over her mouth to hide the smile she had on her face.

“Ah! Here it is!” Mrs. McLeary exclaimed. She climbed down a small step ladder with a small slightly tattered book tucked under her arm. “I had to hide the poor dear from Mr. Johnson. That man sees anything and everything that doesn’t belong!” Mrs. McLeary explained. “Hmm, he sounds like a regular Sherlock if you ask me.” Farrah said jokingly. Mrs. McLeary chuckled at the small funny that was made and sat down. “Ok, this is the first book children. "A Study in Scarlet". I had to look for it because it’s been a long time since I read the Sherlock novels. I was quite a big fan when I first read them.” She told them. “Thank you so much, Mrs. McLeary for letting me borrow the book. I appreciate it very much.” Farrah said graciously. “Oh it’s no problem at all, dear. In fact, you can keep it if you’d like. I have no use for it, since I’ve already read it.” Mrs. McLeary said as she handed the book to Farrah. “I know it’s a little torn and worn, but other than that it’s still in good shape; and it’s still readable, or else I wouldn’t be giving it to you to read.” She giggled while saying so. All three of them laughed a bit at the small quip Mrs. McLeary had made. She got up and walked towards the door. She opened it and held it open for Tristan and Farrah. The two got up and walked out from the restricted section part of the library. All three walked back to Mrs. McLeary’s desk towards the front of the library. “Well children, it’s been a pleasure helping you. I hope you plan on coming back soon to tell me how you liked the book.” She said politely. “Oh, I will Mrs. McLeary. I’ll come back.” Farrah said with a smile. Both her and Tristan waved and started to walk out. “Oh! Farrah dear?” Mrs. McLeary called out. “Yes?” Farrah turned. “Make sure you bring Mr. Cage back with you. It was nice seeing him here.” Mrs. McLeary called back. Tristan’s face turned red, he quickly walked out of the library. “Oh okay, Mrs. McLeary. Will do.” Farrah said, rushing out of the library to catch up with her friend. She had to run in order to catch up with Tristan. She called after him and told him to slow down. He reluctantly slowed down, until he was at a complete stop.

“Hey, why’d you walk out so fast?” Farrah asked. She was out of breath from running. “I hate the library. Did she really have to be so embarrassing?” Tristan said bitterly. Farrah looked down. She wasn’t exactly sure how to answer that. “Well no, she didn’t, but she was just joking. She didn’t mean to be so embarrassing. She just enjoys seeing you there. I mean, you really don’t go there as much as you used to anymore.” She answered. “Oh, well excuse me for deciding to actually buy a book so I can keep it!” Tristan shot back. Farrah stopped walking and looked at him. She was shocked that he had spoken to her the way he just did.

Tristan stopped walking and sighed. He did it again, he had hurt her feelings again. Why did he keep hurting her this way? He turned around slightly & looked at her. Her bangs were swaying in the summer breeze, but still covered her eyes. Even though he couldn’t see her eyes, he knew they showed just how hurt she was. “Farrah? I’m so sorry. I don’t know what’s wrong with me today. I feel so bad.” Tristan said. He walked towards her and lifted her head up by her chin. Her green eyes were now staring into his golden hazel eyes. “I’m sorry, okay?” Tristan told her. “I know you are. But I hate when we fight. We’re best friends, and yet, you still give me your short temper to deal with. It just hurts. That’s all.” Farrah confessed. She felt rather uneasy, and yet, so comfortable when it came to being so close to Tristan. Looking into his eyes, she saw his apology was sincere. She loved his eyes. The color, the shade, how it got lighter once the sun hit it; in fact his eyes were just one of the things she loved about Tristan. She could feel her feelings for him rising up. She wanted them to stop but she knew she couldn’t run away from them. If this were a movie she would’ve kissed him already. Once that thought came up, she looked elsewhere.

“So, is that you’re way of saying you forgive me?” Tristan joked. He looked at her. She had to be one of the most beautiful girls he’d ever seen. Her eyes were gorgeous to him. He loved how beautiful and dark hair was. He knew Farrah wasn’t a fan of her hair, but he was. Of course he never told her this, in fear of what she might say, but he loved everything about her. There was something deep down inside that made him want to kiss her, or at least tell her what he’s thinking. Once he realized where his mind was going with this he looked away and removed his hand from her chin. “Yes, Tristan. I forgive you. I can’t stay mad at you.” Farrah said. “Because of my charming looks?” Tristan asked jokingly. He winked at Farrah. “No, because if I didn’t forgive you, I wouldn’t have a puzzle partner.” She shot back. She pushed him out of the way and started walking ahead. Tristan followed and put his arm around Farrah. “So are we going home now? I’m starving!” Tristan complained. “Yes, we’re going home now. Gosh, do you ever stay full? You’re always hungry!” Farrah asked. “Yes, I do stay full. But I didn’t eat today, so I’m hungry.” He defended himself. “Well, serves you right for missing lunch.” She scolded Tristan like a child. “Where were you anyway?” Farrah asked. Tristan froze. He didn’t want to tell Farrah that he had skipped lunch to spend some “alone time” with Scarlett Redfield. “Oh, I was just helping one of the guys with a. . .girl problem.” He lied. Farrah looked at him. When she saw his face and how he wouldn’t look her in the eye she knew. He wasn’t with his friends, he was with her. Farrah was furious. He lied to her again! She rolled her eyes and pushed him away from her. She walked away from him in a hurry.

“Farrah? Hey, wait up! What’s wrong?” Tristan called after her. “If you’re not going to tell me the truth, then there’s no reason for me to stick around with you anymore! Don’t worry, maybe Scarlett Redfield can be my replacement! You’d just love that, wouldn’t you?!” She yelled at him as she walked away. Tristan stopped walking, he was too shocked to move. He then snapped out of it and ran after her. “How’d you know?” he asked. Tristan was dumbfounded. He couldn’t believe how she found out the truth. “Oh come on, Tristan!” Farrah yelled. He knew this was serious because she hardly ever used his first name. She only used his full name if it were something serious. Other times it was “T.C.” “You really thought you could hide something from me?! I’ve known you all my life. I can tell when you’re lying and when you’re hiding something! That’s the second time you’ve lied to me today Tristan. Is this going to be a new habit? If it is, you can be assured I won’t be around to deal with it!” Farrah walked off angrily. She just wanted to get away from Tristan for a while. “Wait up Farrah! You’re walking too fast, and you’re not giving me a chance to explain!” Tristan ran after her. “NO! I don’t want to hear any explanation, or lie, you have! Please just quit while we still have a friendship. Just leave me alone right now.”

“Is this about Scarlett? Are you jealous of her?” Tristan asked. He had then realized he just made things worse by saying that. Maybe he should quit while there was a friendship he thought. Farrah stopped short. Did he really just ask that? She turned abruptly and stared at him with hurt eyes. “I could care less about what you and Scarlett do. I have no reason to be jealous of that girl. All she does is use guys, and break their hearts. If that’s what you want her to do to you, then that’s on you. But don’t stand there and ask me if I’m jealous of her. She’s not the reason why we’re fighting. It’s your ways of lying that’s brought us to this spot now!” Farrah screamed. She was close to tears but refused to let Tristan see. She then turned back around and walked away leaving Tristan there feeling guilty.

****

Farrah walked up to her porch, blinded by her tears. She couldn’t believe that Tristan had accused her of being jealous. Why would she be jealous of Scarlett? Of course she knew why she would be jealous of her. Because Scarlett had the one thing that Farrah knew she couldn’t have. A chance with Tristan. Tristan was her best friend, and she knew that best friends could never become more than friends. “What does she have that I don’t have?” she asked herself. Farrah walked past her mom. She was on the phone and didn’t seem to notice that Farrah had come home. Farrah dragged herself upstairs. “I’m smarter, I’m fun to be around, and I know what he likes and what he doesn’t like. I know all his secrets, all his hopes and goals for the future. His family loves me. So what’s the problem?” Farrah continued to rant to herself. She walked into her room and closed the door. She walked towards her dresser and stared at her reflection in the mirror. “Maybe it’s my hair.” She said to herself. Her eyes began to well up and tears rolled down her cheeks. “I’m not pretty enough, that’s why. He’ll never look at me the way he looks at Scarlett.”

Farrah turned away from her reflection and plopped down on her bed. She sobbed quietly into her pillow. Just then there was a knock at the door. “Sweetie? Are you in there?” Farrah's mother asked. Farrah picked her head up quickly and wiped her tear stained cheeks. “Yeah mom. I’m home.” Farrah answered. Farrah's mother, Mrs. Jones, opened the door and peeked inside. “Hi there, Sweet Pea.” That’s what her mom always called her ever since the day she was born. “How was school?” She asked. “It was fine. I solved a puzzle today.” Farrah answered. Mrs. Jones walked into the room & sat next to Farrah on her bed. She was a splitting image of her daughter Farrah. In fact many people mistook one for the other. “That’s wonderful darling! Did Tristan help you with it?” Mrs. Jones asked. The mere mentioning of Tristan’s name was enough to make Farrah's stomach do flips, and not the good kind. “Yeah, he did. Like always.” Farrah forced a smile on her face. “Sweet pea, I see it written all over your face. Something happened today, didn’t it? Are you guys in the middle of another argument?” Mrs. Farrah asked. Farrah looked away, trying to hold back her tears. “You know you can tell me anything.” Mrs. Jones said calmly. “What happened?” Farrah sighed and her eyes welled up. “I don’t know mom. He’s lied to me twice today about hanging out with some girl at the school.” Farrah confessed to her mom. Mrs. Jones nodded and explained a possible reason. “Maybe he feels you won’t approve of the relationship and he feels that he might have to. . .” “Lie to his best friend?” Farrah interrupted. “No, not lie, but keep his possible relationship to himself.” Mrs. Jones corrected. “Don’t worry sweet pea, you guys will make up like always. Don’t forget his family is coming over tonight for dinner. You guys can talk later on tonight.” She reassured Farrah.

Mrs. Jones smiled at Farrah and got up from the bed. She kissed Farrah on her head and started to walk out. “Oh! I almost forgot the real reason I came in here!” She said. “A letter came for you today. I’m not exactly sure who it is, but it sure seems fancy.” She then handed Farrah a small envelope and walked out. Farrah looked at the envelope. On the front of the envelope read the name Ashira Banks in a beautifully fancy script. It was written in gold. Farrah opened the envelope and pulled the paper out. The words were gold also. She read the letter to herself.

Dear Ms. Farrah Jones,

You have been cordially invited to the event of the century. You and your partner, Mr. Tristan Cage, have been chosen to participate in the annual “Sherlock & Watson Tournament”. It’s an event that’s held here at my estate for over 60 years. We take young mystery, logic, & of course, puzzle solvers like yourself & give them different challenges to overcome. Whichever pair solves the challenge first will move on to the next one until there is only one pair left. I hope to see you & Mr. Cage there. All the information you need is in the envelope. Good luck & may the best team win.

Sincerely,

Ashira Banks.

Farrah was completely excited she couldn’t even speak. She rushed to the phone and dialed Tristan’s number. “Farrah?” Tristan answered. “Oh my goodness! T.C.! Guess what!” Farrah yelled. “Well nice to see you’re not mad at me. I knew you were going to call. I know, Farrah. We’ve been ‘cordially invited to the event of the century.’ I just finished reading the letter. ” Tristan said. He was really excited about the event, but not as excited as Farrah. “T.C. we have to do this! I bet we’d win! I mean, come on, we’re the best in our school. Not to mention the only ones.” Farrah said laughing to herself. “Ok Farrah, I think we’ll give it a shot. Of course we’ll have to beg our parents. But it’s well worth it.” He agreed. “Great! I’ll see you later T.C.” Farrah said happily. “Wait Farrah! Don’t hang up!” Tristan said. “What happened?” Farrah asked. “Look, I’m sorry about today. I didn’t mean all those things I said to you, and I didn’t mean to lie. I’ll prove to you that I’m a trustworthy best friend, by making sure we win this tournament. I promise.” Tristan said solemnly. “I know, T.C. It’s okay. And thank you.” Farrah said. They both hung up the phone and sat there, each of them thinking about how amazing the other one was. They both knew that this summer was going to be the best summer they’d ever have.

To Be Continued. . .