Storms and Everlasting Silence

Dark Night

Lilly Linton groaned, staring at the clock. 10:25! Two more hours to go! Turning back to the files she was sorting, she tried to keep her eyes open. 'Just think of all the solid chocolate you'll get at the Halloween Ball!'

I don't actually want to go to that blasted ball!

'You will if your Aunt says you will! Now keep working, this is the only way that bastard will let you have Monday off!' 

Admittedly, her annoying inner voice was right, yet again. 

'Of course I am!' 

Two more hours until twelve, and then she could go home! "78XXII34," She muttered, glancing around for the file folder. Mr. Ambrose was forcing her to sort out his newer files while he read some of his older ones. Whatever he was doing, Lilly didn't know, as she still hasn't understood what exactly his business was. "Yes! Done!" After finding the right folder, she saw that she had finished. Unwilling to get up to ask that chauvinist what else she had to do, Lilly laid her head down, preparing for a quick nap. 'I'll just close my eyes for a bit...' 

"Mr. Linton!!" His loud, booming voice echoed in the stone walls of her office. I don't pay my employees to sleep, especially when they won't be coming in again on Monday!" Lilly's head shout up, eyes blinking open in confusion. Mr. Ambrose stood, glaring at her, the sharp planes and angles of his face even more clearly defined than usual by the flickering glow of the candle in his hand. 

"Sorry sir, I just.. I fell asleep for a moment. What else do you need?" 

"Come here," Following her boss unsteadily back into his office, Lilly glanced at the clock at again. 10:45! Ughhh... "I need you to find the name Sherlock Holmes in these files and if you do, come tell me. And stay here, I don't want you falling asleep again." 

Dropping tiredly into the hard chair of his office, Lilly guided her tired, sleepy eyes around the pages, looking for this Sherlock Holmes. Most of the files had no sign of this elusive name, but the files that did, she set aside for him. The room was dark and lit only by one candle, whose flame flickered now and then. Mr. Ambrose, apparently, was having trouble seeing too, as he stood and went to the window, flicking open the blinds. 

As the bright moonlight flowed into the room, Mr. Ambrose stiffened and Lilly looked up at the sudden tenseness of her employer. 

"Sir?" 

Mr. Ambrose was frozen, bathed in the silvery light of the full moon behind him. Lilly couldn't tell from here, but were the tips of his ears slightly longer than before? 

"Mr... Linton I need you to go home, now." His voice had deepened too since the last he'd spoken. Lilly looked surprised at his words. 

"Sir? It's only 11:30." 

"I don't care! Mr. Linton, GO HOME!" Yelling the last two words, Mr. Ambrose turned away from the stunned Ms. Linton. Getting up hurriedly, she gathered her things and ran from the office. Her shoes clacked loudly in the empty corridors of Empire House, and the seemingly friendly shadows from earlier this morning had darkened and had spread through the whole building. She ran swiftly down the front steps and looked around the streets, fruitlessly hoping that a carriage would somehow be rolling by. Of course, seeing as it was almost midnight, there were none. 

Resigning herself to walking home, Lilly kept on, hugging herself tightly. The dark silhouettes of the brick buildings cast menacing shadows across the ground. She shivered, fully awake now. She knew that many dangers lurked in the dark. Trusting that her disguise as a man would protect her from some of these dangers, Lilly relaxed. The cool wind blew a few leaves around, the rustling the only sound in the night. The bright full moon allowed her enough light to see just a few steps ahead of her.