Chapter 15
Bless the cursive Day
1:48p.m.
March the 25th
2025
In bathroom of Eleanor University smelled faintly of lemon-scented cleaner overpowered by the sharp tang of urinal cakes. The hum of a flickering fluorescent bulb echoed in the tiled space.
Officer Miller stood at the far right urinal, shoulders slightly hunched, one hand on his hip as he relieved himself, his brow furrowed in thought.
His mind was still back in the principal's office, replaying the scene with the two kids-Quinley and Xavian.
Officer Miller/officer (muttering under his breath)
"You know what... maybe me and the guys were a bit too harsh on the two little lads. I mean, their friend just went missing-and one of the girls even heard it happen.
But it was too damn early for all that. Yelling and screaming I'm tired of the DA and parents yelling at me like I'm the reason their kid, or brother, or mother got kidnapped.
Like it's my fault that happened. Like, I get they just lost a loved one, but that doesn't make it right to take all that shit out on me.
And and not just that I'm going to have to do all this damn paper work In this shity mood God, I hate-this and I fucking hate those...Man, actually, I need to calm down. No scratch that What I need more is a damn coffee."
He zipped up with a quick, sharp motion, to walk past the sink only lightly shaking his hands.
He stepped out into the hallway, its long stretch lined with scuffed lockers and bulletin boards crammed with orientation flyers. His boots tapped against the pale, polished linoleum. Rubbing at his tired eyes with the heel of his palm, he hardly noticed when he bumped shoulders with someone.
Officer Miller (snapping)
"Hey, asshole, watch it-"
He stopped mid-sentence.
The girl he'd bumped into stood still, her posture relaxed but oddly deliberate, as if every inch of her was exactly where she intended it to be. The hallway's muted daylight from tall glass panels caught in her hair-deep red strands that spilled down to her hips like a velvet curtain.
Scattered freckles broke across her cheeks and nose in soft constellations, features that would normally seem unremarkable to him, but on her, they demanded a double-take. She wasn't flawless, but she wore her imperfections with the confidence of someone in possession of a weapon nobody else could see.
Her gaze was something else entirely-cold, stripped of warmth, but searching. It slid over him like a scanner: badge, sidearm, posture, facial tension... and then back to his eyes.
He felt like she'd just filed him away in some mental folder labeled "unimportant, but keep an eye on."
Officer Miller (thinking)
Just what... what's this girl thinking?
Selene
"My apologies, Officer Miller, but it's quite interesting how you're telling me to watch where I'm going when you're the one rubbing your eyes."
Her tone was flat, but her head tilted just slightly, chilling up at the officer with a blank, beautiful green right eye and an equally dazzling, partially green hazel left eye.
Officer Miller (clearing his throat)
"Oh... yeah, you're right. So, like, you new around here?"
Selene
"No duh. I'm a freshman, and it's the first day."
Officer Miller
"Well, yeah, I guess it is the first day.
But how would I know you're a freshman?"
Selene
"I look it. I'm around 18 or 19-typical for a college freshman, especially compared to my older peers that you likely passed by, considering you're this far into the school.
And you know where the bathrooms are.
I still have baby fat on my face. I've got a small hip-to-waist ratio with no full adult curves or hourglass figure.
But to be fair, a lot of girls can still have those features.
So I'll give you that."
Officer Miller
(smiling faintly)
"A ha, see? There was no way for me to tell.
So... can you please turn down the attitude? I'm a federal officer, after all.
But I gotta say-I am impressed with your detective work.
You know... if you were personally trained, I could give you some special privileges.
I can privilege you in many ways."
He rested his hand on her shoulder, fingers curling slightly as he leaned in. She didn't move, didn't blink. Her stare was steady as stone.
The sudden crackle of his radio broke the tension.
Radio
"Hey Miller, I think we found something. You should check it-"
He cut it off with a quick tap.
Selene
我想知道他们要多久才能找到你
("I wonder how long it would take them to find you)
Selene
"Was that important?"
Officer Miller:
No, no, it's nothing. Hey You don't look like the type to know Japanese.
Selene:
It's mandarin.
Officer Miller
"Same thing now... So where were we?"
Selene
"We were finishing this.
Back to what we were talking about earlier
You're wrong in saying there was no way you could've known I was a freshman.
Because my ID is literally on my chest.
You gave glances at it five times.
You had to have seen it once."
Officer Miller (shifting awkwardly)
"...Well, I... wasn't really looking. The thing is-actually... I'm sorry."
Selene
"It's whatever, man."
Officer Miller
"Can I... highly recommend you think about my offer?
Actually-here's my number."
He scribbled a number on a small pad, tore the page out, and extended it toward her-only for another hand to grab him by the collar from behind. Miller stumbled a step back, eyes wide.
Officer Miller
(whispering)
"What the hell you think you're doing, man? Let me bag. This chick-"
Officer Ronald/officer (whispering sharply)
"Not her. Just trust me on this.
You'll thank me later."
Officer Ronald (aloud, voice even)
"Sorry for my friend bothering you.
Good day, Selena."
Selene
"Good day to you too, Ronald."
Oh, and you finally grew that beard you always wanted. It looks nice.
Officer Ronald
.... Ya Well that's good going now
The officers strode away, their footsteps fading down the hall. Selene watched them until they turned the corner.
Hmm.
What did that blonde officer mean by "bag this chick"?
Was he going to give me a bag of baby chickens?
No, that couldn't be it. Hmmm...
Hazel usually knows when people start saying weird phrases.
If you want her confusion to read cuter, darker, or more unsettling, I can nudge it in that direction.
(I calling out, voice dripping with dry sarcasm)
"Come on out, Hazel. The shitshow's over-stop watching it foaming at the mouth like a freaking weirdo."
Hazel popped out The entrance of the women's back, arms flung wide in mock celebration.
Hazel
"Oh my God, Selene! You dirty dog-did not take you for the gal to like the older type!
Selene or should I say Selena.
I never thought a non-player character would know your old business name.
Also-getting hit on two times by a guy with a gun shooting out his fragile ego in the same day-look at you!
The day just started, you-
Wait, what's the opposite of a lady killer, huh?"
Selene
"A man-eater, I guess."
Hazel
"No, that makes you sound like a zombie. Or an animal that primarily hunts humans...
Mmm... let me think. What about Maneater11217?"
Selene
"That sounds like an 11-year-old boy's Roblox username."
Hazel
"You obviously never watch Transformers."
Selene
"Transformers?? Whatever, this is dumb. Let's just go."
Hazel
(grinning, jerking her chin toward the far end of the hallway)
"So we're just gonna leave and not acknowledge our little friend hiding on the corner of the hallway?"
Selene
"I mean, he was doing such a good job, so I didn't want to ruin it for the little guy."
Hazel
(calling out with her hands cuffed around her mouth)
"Hey dude, your cover's blown. Let's not waste each other's time-just come out already."
Xavian stepped from The Shadow of a hallway corner, hands raised slightly as if surrendering, words spilling out fast.
Xavian
"Okay-okay, hold on, hold on, I'm so sorry! I wasn't trying to be nosy or anything, I swear.
It's just-me and my friend, we've had a really rough day, like, really rough, and I was running around trying to find her-except I lost track of her-and then I saw One of the creepy officer talking to you and I just-
I don't know, I panicked, okay?
I had a bad run-in with that cop earlier, and I guess I got a little paranoid, so I just wanted to stick around and make sure, you know, nothing bad was happening or-yeah. That's it."
Hazel (soft smile, stepping forward)
"Hey, hey-calm down. We don't bite...
Well, she doesn't at least."
Selene
"You wanted to make sure we're okay by hiding and trembling in the back corner?"
Hazel reached for his hand, holding it gently and brushing her thumb across his knuckles.
Hazel
"Hey, calm down, dude. Just take deep breaths."
Xavian
"Well, I was gonna report it to someone if anything happened..."
Selene
Oh really "Hazel?!?"
Hazel
"His temp went up a little bit. And judging by his pulse, his heart has roughly ten extra beats."
Xavian (yanking his hand back)
"What the hell are you talking about?! I wasn't lying!"
(Internally) Did she just caught me in a lie but my body temperature Is she a freaking lie detector
Hazel
"Aww, look at him-so flustered and cute when he's caught in a lie.
Selene, can we keep him?"
Selene
"You don't have to lie. We know how pathetic you are.
You saw us at gunpoint and walked away when we just got here, in front of the school."
Hazel
"Yeah, I even did that stupid damsel in distress protocol-whispers-told you it wouldn't work."
Xavian
(wincing)
"You were being held at gunpoint What did you want me to-actually Yah... I'm really sorry about that."
Selene
"No, no. Don't apologize.
I understand-there wouldn't be much you could've done in either instance anyway. You're entitled to your own survival.
But what's got me curious is the fact that...
You still stuck around this time.
Which indicates something big must've happened to you to make you change, to go against your own instinct.
Probably happened with those officers earlier.
Or maybe... it's the guilt of turning a blind eye to two girls in danger that started eating at you.
I'd bet it's both."
Xavian
(quietly)
"...You're exactly... right.
Are you some kind of therapist, or do you psychoanalyze people as a hobby?"
Selene
"Therapy?-Ya I guess that's what I'm here for trying to get the masters or whatever."
Xavian
"You're not even trying to hide the fact that you're lying.
Someone who came here for therapy would want to make a good first impression-they'd dress nicer and cleaner.
"Your clothes are a bit ripped, and you've got scars all around your wait.
Internally what happened to her scars? They're completely gone.
Her friend still has them from earlier, but hers disappeared… actually, Wait Now that I think about it how did they even get that beat up?"
Selene
(internal)
He's more observant than the officer. The officer didn't even notice my scars, but he noticed that they're all healed despite being at a farther distance. Not to mention, he can call me out on a lie. He's smart, but he's asking way too many questions.
Xavian
(internal)
This is the second time I've run into these two being harassed. Not to mention their clothing's are wrecked.
Not to mention their muscles. The girl with the red hair-her muscles are almost as big as the officers'.
The other girl's kind of small, but she's not much different. And not to mention, they still have all their accessories. Travian would've taken them in the robbery.
Come to think of it-I haven't seen Travian around.
Just what happened to him...?*
Quick cut to: Travian
In Eleanor's yard, Travian lay sprawled on the grass, the afternoon sun glaring in his face. He still couldn't believe Hazel had taken his shoes-he was supposed to be the robber, and somehow he'd ended up humiliated.
He rolled onto his side, checking the time on his cracked phone: 2:00 PM. Orientation would start in minutes. He groaned and tried to sit up, but a stabbing ache in his ribs forced him back down.
Travian
"You know what?
Fuck it. I'll just skip it and lay down here."
Back to present:
Hazel (almost innocently)
"Okay, okay, children.
We get it-both of your brains are as big as my meat.
Now can we go back to speaking with our words and not our neurons?"
She gripped Xavian's shoulders, leaning in with a grin.
Hazel
"Listen-you and your friend were most likely pissed off by the same officer that harassed my friend here.
So that means it must be fate that we stick together, right?"
Xavian
"I don't believe in that stuff."
Hazel
"Neither do I.
But I believe in myself.
And I believe that I'm right.
So let's stick to that.
I say we group up and help find your friend."
End of chapter