Enola?

"We would never hire a woman, especially a woman in trousers!"

The man slams his hand down on his desk before pointing towards the door.

I stand up, knocking my chair down in the process. "All have you know, I could work circles around you and your men, and I look better in trousers than you ever will!"

I make my way back to the busy streets of London. I've tried to apply for over ten businesses today, but they were either sexist or weird. I'm beginning to lose hope for finding a job. Who would've known it'd be this hard?

I jump on the side of a building, barely missing a large carriage. The driver throws his hands at me, and I do the same.

"The man loses control over his horses but blames it on me? Typical male," I say quietly.

I jump down from the windowsill, there's words painted on the large window in thick, black paint.

'Enola Holmes Detective Agency'

Holmes. Why does that sound familiar?

I push my way into the building and look around in confusion. Where are all of the desks and detectives?

"Good afternoon, ma'am!"

I spin around to see a young girl standing by a desk. She's wearing a blue dress and has long, messy, curly, brown hair. She only looks to be about eighteen.

"Good afternoon. Do you work for this detective agency?" I ask politely.

She laughs, "Work for? I own this agency!"

"Congratulations to you. It's very rare that a woman is allowed to do anything, especially owning her own business."

She smiles brightly but returns to her serious face again. "Thank you. Now, what have you come here for? Has anything gone missing? Or anyone?"

She was masking her eagerness with worry, but I could see right through it. I admire the girl for being so ambitious.

"Afraid not, I have come here to ask if you are hiring," I say, looking at the stuff on her desk.

Her shoulders fall, "I am not hiring right now."

"Really? It's obvious that you're alone, and no person is strong enough to run a detective agency on their own."

"You'd be surprised," she mutters.

She stands up straight again, "I certainly need the help, but I'm afraid business has been very slow lately. I don't have enough money to pay anyone right now."

Bingo.

"Well, lucky for you, I'm not interested in the money," I respond.

She gives me a confused look, so I continue, "I'm actually an author. My first book has made me enough money to live on until the day I die. However, my publisher is waiting for me to finish my second book, but I can not seem to find the inspiration to do so. My mother insists on me getting a job to help inspire me."

She nods along with everything I say, a conflicted look on her face.

"So you're looking for a job to inspire you, not pay you?"

"Correct."

She reaches her hand out to me with a smile, "Well, then consider yourself hired......?"

I shake her hand, "(Y/n) (L/n)."

~~°°••°°~~

It's my third day working with Enola, if you can even call it working. We've had meetings with several people, but of course, all of them refused to hire us because we're 'little girls'. At least sixty percent of them asked for Enola's older brother, Sherlock, who I've learned is a ridiculously famous detective over here.

"I'm afraid today is our last day," Enola says.

We stand in front of her desk, watching as the cleaners scrape her name away from the window. She gathers all of the stuff from her desk and throws it in a box.

A ring from the door catches our attention, and we make brief eye contact before turning towards the door. There's a young girl holding a ripped piece of a newspaper.

"Enola Holmes?"

Enola raises her eyebrows, "Yes?"

The girl wipes her hair out of her face. "Good, then I've gotten the right place. Is it true that you find lost people?"

"Yes, we find lost people. Who have you lost?"

The girl frowns, "My sister."

Enola and I face each other again. There's an eager glint in her eyes, and I can't help but smile. Finally, we have a case.

~~°°••°°~~

"Watch out for the gap!"

I lift my dress up and jump over the large gap between the wooden planks. Yes, I'm wearing a dress, but only because I thought it'd help us get a case. I just didn't think it'd actually work.

The girl leads us through an old house and into a small room. Enola immediately starts asking questions and looking around.

A rat jumps out at Enola, causing her to scream. The girl laughs softly, "Sarah loves to feed 'em."

"And what does Sarah look like?" I ask.

"Sarah's pretty, very pretty. She has red hair, green eyes, freckles...."

Enola stops her, "Red hair?"

"We're not sisters in the usual way."

"Found sisters."

I turn to see a new girl enter the room, she looks to be about my age, and she's definitely not happy to see us.

"Sarah took her in. Who are these people, Bess?" the girl asks.

"Enola Holmes and (Y/n) (L/n), they're detectives, and They're going to find Sarah."

The older girl scoffs, "They look like they'd blow over in the wind."

"Mae!"

"So, Bessie, what was Sarah wearing the day she disappeared?"

Enola walks around the room, her eyes scanning everything in sight. Mae crosses her arms, "What are you doing?"

"She was wearing a green dress, it's her favorite, she looks really pretty in it."

I pick up a tube of lipstick, "She wore makeup."

"Did she have a suitor?" Enola asks.

Bessie shakes her head, "No, but there's plenty that have taken an interest."

There's two plants, one is dead, and the other is alive. The dead one has white powder while the living one has none. Enola and I share a look but continue walking around.

Enola and Bessie continue talking, but I focus on looking around the room. Sarah's stuff is messy, like she was in a hurry. However, most of her stuff is still here. Could she have been taken? Perhaps she ran away herself?

That same mysterious powder is on the block of cheese in the corner. If it killed the plant, is it possible that it can kill the rat as well?

"The match factory? Is that where she works?"

"It's where all of us work. We're match girls."

"Then that's where we'll start," Enola says, nodding at me.

Bessie smiles, "So you'll take the case?!"

"Yes, we shall meet in the morning."

"Thank you, Miss Holmes! Thank you, Miss (L/n)!"

Bessie walks us to the front door, and Enola and I start making our way back to the city.

Enola's steps are lighter, and there's a cheerful smile on her face. She turns back to me, "We've got our first case."

"I know I shouldn't be excited about a missing girl, but I can't wait to get started."

The two of us walk back to her former office, and her smile drops. "Did you notice anything weird back there?"

"That white powder. It was on the dead plant and on the block of cheese."

She nods, "I found some in glass vials as well."

"She was experimenting with it," I add.

"Yes, but I don't think she was doing it by herself."

I think back to the other girl, Mae. "That Mae girl, she was very adamant about us not messing with Sarah's stuff, and she was rocking back and forth on her feet, which indicates that she was nervous. She knows something but doesn't want to tell us."

"You're right!" Enola smirks, "I think you're going to make a fabulous detective."

"Yes, but only if I get a good amount of sleep. What time should we meet?"

"Let's meet here at six. Make sure to wear a raggedy dress and neckerchief."

We say our goodbyes and go our separate ways. I can't wait to tell my mother about my first case.