The Last of the Bread Crumb Trail

"Why aren't you working?"
Why don't you fucking figure it out.

"You could escape, you know. Before something rash is done."
You would like that, wouldn't you?

"Where is your mind?"
Huh?

Monday was fantastic as you all well know. The following Tuesday nobody could get their shit together. Someone implanted a virus in the computer mainframes. I wonder who. Wednesday was a repeat of Tuesday. The two most boring days out my goddamned life. Thursday they got the computers up and running, but most if not all the files were erased. Or, as Miss Bitch likes to put it, "stolen." Please. Like they're of any use for your stupid organization. Friday was when things got interesting again.

We set out to the school for some investigating. Birnhaum insisted I come along for the ride. Oh joy. She wasn't going to let me out of her sight if she could help it. Made me feel like a fucking jackass in need of supervision at all times. You just couldn't tell if it was going to kick someone in the balls the moment your back was turned.

"Where was your mind that day?" she repeated. For the past ten minutes I was trying my damnedest to ignore this gaudy whore; it just wasn't enough for her to have us alone in the same squad car, was it? She knows what makes me tick (which that in itself pisses me off) and I knew she had a tape recorder on her the moment she started asking me questions (don't think I don't read your stupid "debriefs," Ella. Next time think twice before you go blabbing your fucking mouth off). But something about what she said at that moment... who was it that said those words to me before, if anyone did?

"What day?" I snapped. I don't read minds, bitch.

"When we first met," she clarified. "You stormed out suddenly in the middle of our conversation- " it was an interrogation. Don't fluff up the past with bullshit. "- Why was that?"


"You're a detective," I hissed, looking away out the window. "What do you think happened?"


She snickered. Ha! Arrogant slut. "Well," she calculated. "I would assume talking about the Man triggered something in your memories. Horrible memories at that. Still, your reaction was strange. Why run away? Why not share your pain with me? You seemed to hold a grudge against me ever since that day, starting with that conversation."


Didn't miss a beat, did she? "Just now bringing this up, eh?"


"Does it matter? Don't tell me you forgot."


I shifted in my seat. Our approach towards the school was delayed. She was going to drag this out no matter what. I sighed in frustration.

"I just thought we were a lot alike." That hurt like HELL. I had to grit my goddamned fucking teeth just to spit it out as coherently as my hissing would allow it. Admitting this wanted me to choke this bitch like no tomorrow. Ugh.

Honestly, I don't think she was expecting that answer. She couldn't respond for several minutes, by that time we had already arrived at the front of the school. Students were bustling this way and that and holding food in their hot little hands, sometimes stealing the food of another classmate in playful banter. Stupid high school. These are the true monsters just waiting to be fed the food to grow and kill fellow monsters. A birthplace of hell. Hahaha!

The other squad cars pulled up and we all stepped out of the vehicles, creating quite a scare amongst the students. Ehehehehe!!! I never realized until that moment how much power a police officer could have! But! My joyous moment lasted only the walk from the cars to the front office. The little monsters avoided us as much as possible, so their fear could not feed my lust for power. I was returned to the fucking reality that I was just another underling; a servant of the law. ERGH!!!!

Well, interrogations were limited; this campus was much more strict on police activity than apparently the detective's visit to the other one. Our search, therefore, became more direct. Ella handed the head administrator my school file. I didn't know if I hid my glares at the accursed piece of shit paper; if it was noticeable, no one commented. The administrator surveyed the contents of the file before meeting our gaze once more.

"I'm sorry to say," the old man groaned, "but I'm afraid we have no previous record of this student's education, nor the address of her residence. Everything farther back than one year ago is completely lost."


Ella did not look disappointed. She thanked him for his time and we left. That was it. Well, for our time at the school it was over. My own "conversation" was still left unresolved. Bold Bitch did not hesitate. She immediately lept right into the continuation of her interrogation the moment my door was shut.

"Why have you failed to report this to me sooner?" Was she seriously scolding me? Good-fucking-luck with that, you ass. "This explains Melandra's prone-ness to becoming a proxy and- " she turned her eyes away from the road to point those daggers at me. Oh great, go ahead, kill us both dumbfuck. I don't mind one fucking bit. "- it explains why he was there during your last infiltration of Zero's hideout." Sure, we'll go with that. Whatever. She abruptly returned her gaze to the road and continued her contemplation silently in her head. Thank God for the silence, but it slightly worried me.

The moment we arrived at the station, as if unable to hold it in any longer, these words spilled from her mouth: "I can't let you continue this case anymore."


What the fuck? You're fucking me off just because you can't handle the truth? "You goddamned, fucking hypocrite!" She snapped her head at me, almost in shock. I wondered if the recorder was on, but worrying about it slipped my mind. "YOU are allowed on the case because you're all Miss Important Detective but the moment you learn we're the same, you decide to scrap me?! Like FUCK I'm letting you get away with that!"


"This is serious!" she piped in. "I won't let you throw away your life it can be avoided!"


My mind went blank. Those words, this situation.... could it be I...? I kicked open the car door. "Play God on your own time," I bellowed, and shut the door with as much force as I could muster. I left her dumbstruck in the car as she clenched onto the steering wheel, watching me as I waltzed back inside the station.

I was sluggish the rest of the day. My mind was in major déjà vu mode I thought I might throw up. This is not the first this has happened. I know it will not be the last.

Still, I never thought this day would come. Ten years is a long time between sight and action, after all.