Being Enola Holmes' sibling:
You've always been the quieter one out of the two.
Your mother worked with you on that, trying to help you find ways to communicate if you didn't want to talk. She was happy to help.
You were less of a fighter than Enola was. More creatively gifted.
Still, your sister and you could - and would - communicate through only a stare or a look.
She always tried to keep you involved in what she was doing.
Your mother saw your interest in the word 'they' in books. You would refer to people like that without even thinking.
You would immediately correct yourself however as if you had made a mistake.
"Do you want to be referred to that way, Y/N?" Your mother asked. And, as much as you shook your head, she knew you better than that.
So, without thinking, your mother and your sister would. Even if you seemed to pause, or flinch at it.
As Enola and you road to the station, she would mention you to...well, the audience, "and then there is my sibling, Y/N. Which I think is a scrumptious name. However...they have been more withdrawn lately. It worries me, truth be told."
Still, your mother goes missing. It feels like a part of you is gone too. Your peace has been disturbed.
Enola, despite your protests, sticks up for you against your brothers and Miss Harrison. With both the pronouns and how they are treating you both.
When she gets slapped for her disobedience, you feel terrible.
You aren't wild children, just children who have been abandoned by your mother.
You were never one for abiding by all social rules. You made your own. You especially, it was one of the many things your sister admired about you.
You and Enola stick together. Going to the tree together. You don't need to talk, just each other's company is enough.
Your creativity comes into play as you help solve the first puzzle that your mother left behind.
"Brilliant deduction, Y/N!"
She's always been your biggest supporter.
So, off the two of you go. Breaking the rules once again, dressing how you shouldn't.
Enola sees a light in your eyes. And she couldn't be happier.
You both run into Tewksbury. He, correctly, identifies you both as not boys.
"Arent they," Enola corrects.
"...Right. Of course, sorry. Why aren't...they, talking?"
"Maybe they don't want to waste their voice talking to someone like you," Enola says, looking at you and seeing your discomfort at this moment, and leaving with you.
However, as he said to you that people were after him, when a man passes you and enters your previous place of residence on the train, you can guess why.
You tap Enola on the shoulder, pointing back to where you were.
"No. Please, can we just move on? He's not worth it."
You shake your head, going back. Enola, always having your back, follows. Even if she doesn't like this idea.
You both help Tewksbury and run to the edge of the train.
Together, the three of you jump to escape.
Enola looks to you, first to check on you - but you are just cleaning yourself off as best you can, but also to show her exasperation at Tewksbury never shutting up.
"I wish you would be like, Y/N. Honestly."
Tewksbury, however, continues to talk. He asks you who you are, and who you actually are. Why you've run away. Where you are going.
As Enola continues to get frustrated with him, you put your eyes on the flowers and nature around you, instead.
The pair stop as they realise you aren't following them. Enola looks with a smile, while Tewksbury looks confused. You pick out a flower and put it in your shirt pocket. He tells you a bit about it, you nod, a light in your eyes as you learn more about the flower.
Then, excitedly, you jog past them, gesturing for them to follow. The pair do.
You've found a good place to camp.
Using what your mother taught you, you both set it up.
Not interested in getting to know your new traveling companion, you go to sleep first.
"Sh!" Enola whispers, gesturing to you.
Tewksbury nods, "why don't they talk?" he asks, more gently, this time, "and...they? It doesn't seem to fit."
"It does for them," she says, firmly, "as for the talking part, it's just never been something they've ever done."
"Don't you find that...odd?" he's not sure how to word it in a way that doesn't sound mean.
Enola, however, seems to understand it. She shrugs, "not really. It's just been who they are. I've never known them any other way, really."
"Are you not worried that...other people might see them that way?"
Enola looks to the fire, shrugging again. This time a sag to her shoulders, "I don't think the world would be that kind to me, either."
"Me neither," Tewksbury admits.
Enola looks at him with a smile, maybe he's not so bad after all.
The next day, you notice, Enola is more happy. She has a spring in her step. Finally, you all make it to London.
As you bit farwell to Tewksbury, with Enola him and having some banter about names, it's just the pair of you now.
You nudge her. She nudges you back, "shut up."
You raise your hands, before signing, "I didn't say anything."
She just chuckles, leading you both into the city.
It's...big. And scary. And loud.
You take Enola's hand and squeeze it.
She holds it the whole time, making sure you know she's with you.
You make to the clothes shop.
"Sorry," you sign to her as you enter the store, finally releasing her hand.
"It's alright," she reassures, "it's a lot for me too."
While Enola finds her clothes easily, you are more of a trouble.
You go through each one carefully, checking the fabric and colour.
Despite your mother being missing, Enola lets you take all the time you need. You got the mirror countless times, before finally settling.
"I knew you'd like that one," she says.
You get to work on the letters to try find the next hint to finding your mother. That leads you to a friend, then to a place filled with explosives and other not-so-nice things.
As Enola leaves, you are dragged back by the man from the train.
He dunks your head underwater, bringing you up and asking about Tewksbury, "not speaking, eh?" he says, shoving your head underwater again.
You wish he knew the irony.
Still, while not being as good at fighting as Enola, you get out of his grip and run. Your sister finds you, stopping you as you catch your breath, "what's wrong? what happened?"
She gets her answer as the man comes around the corner. She puts you behind her.
She goes in for the fight. As you freeze.
She gets thrown against the wall, but as she recovers, she gives you a wink. She's got this.
She gives the same to the man, before getting back into the fight.
You then look back to the warehouse. The dynamite. You can use that as...an escape. Somehow, you haven't really thought that far ahead.
As if reading your mind, Enola lures him with the fight to a different one, as you go to the other.
With the fireworks going off, you sprint out, Enola joining you as the two of you escape.
Later, you dry yourself off as Enola sits by the fireplace, trying to repair her stabbed dress.
You sit by her, "are you ok?"
She looks to you with a smile, "I'm ok."
You nod, but your smile isn't true. You look to the fire, guilt eating up at you.
Enola looks to you after a moment of silence, "you saved us, Y/N," she says, as if reading your mind, "maybe I am," ok, it's not getting creepy, "it is."
You chuckle. You silently, but still, it's a chuckle.
"I mean it," she waits until you look at her before she continues, "you did save us. You survived him, and bought us the time we needed. You did that."
You smile a true one this time. Yes, you did.
Enola's smile grows at this.
You both agree to save Tewksbury.
The two of you continue on your investigation. Dressing up as a grieving family.
It hurts Enola to have to use the wrong pronouns with you. But, you understand it's for a cover.
Still, it reminds you of the oppressive world you live in.
You let Enola climb up the treehouse, scared of heights yourself. But also because she'd be quicker.
You meet Tewksbury Grandmother, who calls you an 'odd little thing' at you not talking, only pointing up as she asks where your sister is.
Finally, you find him selling flowers. You give him your flower. He spins it, before looking at you thankfully, knowing what it means: you're on his side. Maybe even friends.
You take him back to where you and Enola are staying, but are interrupted by Lestrade.
You and Enola hold the door back. She tells him to run --
Then she looks to you, "you too, Y/N."
You shake your head. No way. You're not leaving your sister. Your best friend.
"Please," she begs, the door once again budging, "I need you to do this for me. I need you to be safe, ok? You can trust Tewksbury. Even if he is a stupid boy," she looks to the boy who is by the window. She sends him a silent request. One he nods at.
She looks back at you one more time, "I'll be sent to a school, that's all that will happen to me. I can't have that happen to you. You need to change the world with that mind of yours, Y/N. Please, please go."
While not wanting to, you do go.
Tewksbury is...well, to be honest, he's lost.
Both in where to go now, but also how to help you.
You're crying. But your facial expression hasn't changed. It's as if, although you're moving, you're frozen in time.
"It will be ok. We'll get through this," he hopes. But even he isn't sure.
"Where...do you know of anywhere we can go?" he asks.
After all, you are both only two frightened children, on the run from god knows how many people.
It takes a bit, but you end up going back to the campsite you made when you first got off the train.
Your face has changed now, going into one of stubbornness. You nudge him, gesturing if he has something to write on. He does, bringing out a crumpled bit of paper and pen. You write on it, giving it to him. Using the firelight, he reads it: "We can't leave her. It's not in our family's blood to just leave."
"I don't mean to be rude, but it does seem to be. With your...mother and brothers," he tries to say it as gently as he can.
You, however, shake your head. He gives you the tools again, and your scribble something else down, this time more harshly.
"Well, I'm going to change that," the words say.
He looks back at you, "how?" he asks.
He sees a spark in your eye.
He knows you have a plan.
Enola gets a box. Opening it, she holds back her scream as you jump out of it.
"Y/N?" she asks, in disbelief.
You nod, doing a little 'ta-da' pose.
"Oh, I never thought I'd see you again!" she says, cheered up now, as you both spin.
"What are you doing here?" she asks, quietly.
"Y/N...I can't leave," she says, defeated.
You tap her on the shoulder, simply pointing from the box to her.
"Oh. Oh, you genius!" She says, giving you another hug. Hurriedly, she gets in.
People who catch you dragging her out, get tired of your sign language. While it stings, it does help get them out of the way.
Once out, you escape on Miss Harrison's bike.
You all go to the estate, ready to end this.
You are, once again, ambushed by the man from the train.
Enola shoves you into cover, trying to fight the man off. She is thrown on the floor.
Looking to Tewksbury, his target, and the armour you see around you, you nudge him, pointing to it and then back to him. When he goes to question what you mean, you run out of cover, letting out a whistle, gaining the other man's attention. He fires at you, just missing.
Enola, however, sees him reloading, and uses her jujitsu move on him to take him down.
Tewksbury's grandmother then comes out with a shotgun. Before either of you can react, Tewksbury is shot, hitting the floor. Enola cries out his name as you both run to him. She has tears running down her face, you are worried, but you are also praying.
Thankfully, that time you bought Tewksbury pays off as much as it did for Enola, he had used some armour from the suits to protect himself.
"You can thank Y/N for my survival," he says, sending a thankful look your way. You give him a smile and a hand squeeze.
As Enola and you help him up, you all knock your heads together.
Your mother reveals herself to you after you both say goodbye to Tewksbury.
She hugs you both, "oh, my children. How you have grown."
"Y/N saved us more times than I can count."
"It took some encouraging."
You tap them both, making them turn to you, "they are right here," you sign. They chuckle but also notice how you're using your pronouns now.
After having to say goodbye to your mother again, the two of you go out into the streets of London.
"Together?" your sister asks you, holding out her hand to you.
You nod, taking her hand.
You have your sister and yourself.
You know who you are now.
Because your futures are up to you.
