Detective Valerya

Valerya sighed as she placed the last of the completed files on the adjoining desk. She pressed the telecom button to signal Mirabelle, and a transparent rectangular box closed the files, and dragged them into the desk, to be transported to the administrative unit.

She looked up at the ding of the station's bell and caught an involuntary sigh when Sebastian walked in. he had been out for a while, and it was apparent he was cold. His lips were a little blue, and he was rubbing his palms together.

Valerya knew the eyes of every woman in the building were turned towards him, but she couldn't care less. She saw him as competition, and nothing else. He was the only person standing between her and the first maestro position. If everyone was being fair, the position clearly belonged to her. She worked hard for it, graduating from the police school with the highest grades ever recorded and, even more impressively, as the youngest in the class by far. She had worked for the station, and her loyalty was unquestionable.

He stood in the way because according to the chief, she was 'inflexible', and the position required someone with charisma, so naturally, it would go to her male colleague, who finished half a mark behind her and seemed to have everybody in his pretty little pockets.

She was still lost in thought when Sebastian glared at her. She knew the amputation must have taken place already. The Volyrts were always swift and efficient with their justice. She would never have admitted it to him, but she felt a little bit sorry for the man.

Sebastian's nose flared as he walked up to one of the two interns gawking at him, whispered suggestively in her ear, and led her to the storeroom. The second one pouted as she looked with envy, before joining them.

Valerya looked around the station and wondered at the normalcy of it all. While all those people would have gotten their hands chopped off, life would go on as usual. Teres was sitting on a chair, slurping milk from a bowl he held in his palms like a cat. He was by far the most eccentric person she had ever met, but damnit was he a genius.

Wyrabelle, beautiful and gracious as ever, stood by the coffee machine, politely turning down the advances of Yeryn, a certified skirt chaser. Yeryn caught her staring and turned to tell Wryabelle something in hushed tones. Valerya tried to pretend she hadn't been staring but cursed inwardly when Yeryn made his way towards her.

"I heard you handled a very successful bust today. Well done," he congratulated. "Seems like you got that first maestro position in the bag huh?" he asked as he touched her shoulder. She gave him a look filled with such coldness that he dropped his hand and scratched his neck sheepishly.

"Officer Valerya, the chief wants a word," an attendant said, and she stood up immediately. She could feel Yeryn's relief as he watched her go.

"You asked to see me, chief?"

"Sit down," he said without preamble. She respected the balding chief because, like her, he had value for time. He was always crisp and to the point, needing everything to be as efficient as possible. As she sat down, she tried to keep her awe of his face hidden. It always surprised her how much his face was redder than his body. His face was an angry tomato red, with the tendency to get redder when he was furious. His sternocleidomastoid was always prominent when he yelled, and with the reddening of his face, it always seemed like his head was about to pop off.

"You know the Marjan family, correct?"

"They're the ruling family sir, the most ancient of the founding fathers. Of course, I know them." President Marjan's photo was on her wall. With his love for the country and hatred for injustice, he was a role model to her. His face being the first thing she saw in the mornings and the last when she got to bed, almost filled her deadened heart with joy.

"His son comes back from his research in the outskirts today," the chief said, as he watched her closely. Everyone knew the 'research' Davys Marjan went for was a five-year holiday for binge drinking, money wasting and prostitution. "I hope he learned a lot," Valerya replied with a tense smile.

"He sure did. Davys would finally come back to learn the duties of a president since President Oreli plans to retire soon. I would like you to be on your best behaviour," he said.

"I'm always on my best behaviour sir," she said, slightly offended. The chief frowned. "You're a bit too hard on the rules, don't you think. He would need time to adjust, so you should loosen up a little. We would like his transition back to be as seamless as possible.

"Oh," she simply said as understanding dawned on her. "You want me to look the other way while he breaks laws," she stated.

"Not when you put it that way, but you can relax on your enforcement a little bit. I won't have you choke him to death because of your attitude," he said.

"Look," he continued, as he relaxed a little. "If you do this, I would be very happy, and when I'm very happy, people get promoted. Do you understand?" he asked as he waited for her to reply.

"Yes sir," she said through clenched teeth. "Congratulations on your bust. You're dismissed," he said curtly and glanced at his desk, already preoccupied with something else.

She spent the rest of her shift in a trance. Instead of being calm at the prospect of her promotion, she felt infuriated that he wanted her to break the law for a prissy, spoiled playboy.

As she left the station, she stood on the cobblestoned pathway and tried to shake off the chilly air. Vehicles were rare, reserved only for officers, health care workers and politicians. Everyone else, regardless of their posts, had to use the subway.

She was about to start her walk to her apartment when a sleek vehicle pulled up beside her. It was Sebastian.

"Get in," he said.

She stood for a moment trying to weigh her options, before she finally got in.

She rolled her window down and felt the cold blast of the winter's air on her face. She wanted to loosen her bun but felt it would be inappropriate, considering who she was with.

He drove in silence for a while, but suddenly said, "You have to live a little. What the hell happened to you to make you so cold?"

"Are you trying to make me falter so you can get the promotion?" she countered.

He only shook his head. "I didn't give a damn about the promotion before, but now I do. I don't need you to falter before I beat you, I've done it before. And when I get it, I would look you in the eye and throw it in your face. Then, maybe you'll realize that there's more to life than being an unyielding little agelast. We're here," he said finally.

Valerya didn't realize that they had stopped until she looked at the familiar, mouldy, rust-coloured building in front of them. She got out of the vehicle and shut the door.

He sped out of the driveway before she could murmur her thanks.