Chapter 25
"Promise that you'll keep in touch?"
"I promise. Of course I will." Martin spoke softly with a light smile. "I'll text you."
"Good. Don't forget!" Karina's tone was teasingly stern. "Maybe we can meet up in the summer holidays?"
"Yeh," Martin nodded slightly.
"I'll miss you." Karina suddenly pulled him into a tight hug, causing a blush to cross Martin's cheeks. He bit his lip slightly before whispering a reply.
"I'll miss you too."
Karina grinned as she pulled away. "I'd better go! Text me! And have fun at your new school. Make new friends. You deserve more friends." Martin just turned redder, waving to Karina as she skipped off to her family. He gripped his green scarf with one hand and moved over to where his dads and Molly were standing. Hamish was off somewhere talking to Mortimer, probably organising to meet with him during the holidays.
To tell the truth Martin was quite nervous about going to a new school. A boarding school of all things. He had only ever spent a few nights sleeping in a room that did not also contain Hamish. He would miss his twin. A lot. And his dads. And Molly. Everyone, really. But... He didn't exactly have many friends at this school. And there wouldn't be many new people joining the next year for him to befriend. A new school would be a good thing, he guessed. So he could make friends.
"Mortimer isn't going away at all during the holidays," Hamish grinned brightly as he finally headed over. "So I can meet him anytime!"
"That's good," John smiled gently at his son.
"Just remember that we are going to Europe for two weeks," Sherlock interjected with a slight frown.
"Well obviously I won't organise anything for those two weeks," Hamish rolled his eyes at his dad, causing Sherlock to arch an eyebrow. John chuckled.
"So onwards to home?" John asked, ocean blue eyes sparkling. There was a general consensus to that from the three children.
"I want to check on my blood experiment!" Hamish exclaimed excitedly. "So I can write up the results and post them on my blog." Recently Hamish had set up a blog for posting up all his experiment results, thoughts on cases his dad was working on and similar things. It was by no means amazing but a few people commented here and there. Especially Mortimer, who had his own blog. It was a way for them to share their results. Hamish was attempting to convince Martin to get a blog to post any music he wrote and also digital art he drew. Martin had refused. He didn't really want a blog not at the moment.
"When I get home I'm going to finish the Last Battle! I've only got a few chapters left," Molly piped up with a bright smile. Recently she had gotten into the Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis and was finally on the last book. She loved the series to pieces and was constantly talking about them. John had vague memories of reading them when he was younger and Martin had also read it, but neither Sherlock nor Hamish had. So they really had no idea what she was talking about.
"We're going out for dinner later, remember," John pointed out gently as they all walked through London towards the flat. On John's insistence, of course. Sherlock would much rather get a taxi rather than waste a whole fifteen minutes walking. Oh, the horror. "So try not to get to messy." He looked pointedly at Hamish, whose eyes just lowered to the ground sheepishly in response.
"What are you going to do when you get home, Marti?" Sherlock suddenly asked, glancing at the currently silent (as per normal) boy rather fondly.
"Draw a portrait of Hamish..." Martin mumbled, feeling slightly embarrassed. Hamish wanted to do something so academic and important and Molly wanted to read, which Sherlock approved of. Martin just wanted to draw at the moment. "And practise my instruments." He added the last part quickly. Sherlock raised an eyebrow.
"Why a portrait of Hamish, may I ask?"
"I'm hoping to draw everyone so I have a picture when I... go to my new school." Martin blushed slightly. John smiled softly. It was rather sweet, actually. Martin wanting to draw pictures of the whole family to take with him.
"Well, of course we'll take a picture of all five of us so you can frame it and take it with you," Sherlock smiled with a nod.
"What about Aunt Molly and Uncle Mycroft and Greg?" Hamish chirped with a slight grin. "They should be in the picture too!" Sherlock pursed his lips at that prospect. Though they had a much better relationship than when John had first met Sherlock, the Holmes brothers still did not get on all that well.
"I guess they can be in the picture if Martin wants them to be," John put in, shooting a glare at Sherlock as if telling him not to go on a rant about his brother. Sherlock gave a dramatic shy, moving ahead with a swish of his black coat to unlock the door.
"I would like that," Martin said quietly as the all headed inside and up the stairs. So that, if he wanted, he could just look at a photo to see everyone. Because he was going to miss them all. He may be going to a great school for the arts but still... He would miss them.
Though he was sure he would make friends. Which would be nice. There was at least one boy who was musical, he knew that much. Considering he had been told that he had just missed out of the music scholarship due to the other boy being at the same level but playing more instruments. He had got the art scholarship, though. Which had pleased everyone no end. Especially Hamish. He had been very happy for Martin.
"I'm going to check my experiment!" Hamish darted into his room as soon as they had all got up the stairs. John rolled his eyes with a light laugh. Martin smiled softly, following Hamish at a slower pace. He grabbed his sketchpad and sat at the edge of his bed, pencil to the paper. Then he began drawing Hamish as he looking over his experiment in a scrutinising manner. He moved a lot but... Martin had drawn his twin so often that he had almost memorised the way his hair curled, the shape of his facial features... Everything.
And this way, at least Hamish would always be with him when Martin was at boarding school. Even if it was just in picture form.