Noelle stood in the dark alley. Back pressed against the cold wet brick wall behind her. Short blue-black hair matted to her forehead with sweat. Eyes bright and as blue as sapphires raked the darkness surrounding her. Her breath was coming short and quick as her blood ran down her right leg and began to form a puddle at her foot. She hoped to heaven and hell that the angry spirit was gone for good. After a few minutes she began to relax. Slowly she sank to the ground and closed her eyes, letting her supernatural powers take over. The blood dried and her wound healed then she turned her attention to ensuring that the spirit was gone before calling for her ride. That's when she remembered that she wasn't supposed to be here, but it was too late to take back the call now. She'd be in trouble when she got back.
Ever since her partner, Cara had been killed in action she hadn't been allowed on a single mission. Three months without a mission had made Noelle even more miserable and restless. The other day she'd found this mission scope sitting on Donna's desk and took it. Suddenly her eyes flew open. A ball of blood red energy floated in mid-air a few feet in front of her. Quickly Noelle grabbed her SK-50 and was on her feet aiming the gun at the ball. She took a shot, but the white stream of light going through it didn't seem to faze the spirit. It was already angry and it came at her grazing her shoulder as she moved to avoid a direct hit. It came at her again and again as she blocked. The first chance she got she put up an energy shield and pulled out her B-45. One shot and the spirit exploded into a hissing pile of ectoplasm. She shot it twice more till it was dead. Again.
"Well, that's what ya get for messin' with me," Noelle smirked twirling her gun and slipping it back into it's holster. Slowly she slumped back to the ground completely exhausted. Memories from long ago returning to her as she leaned back on the wall again. She closed her eyes letting the memories wash over her…
She thought back on days before the accident. A sad smile played on her lips. Those had been happy times. No ghosts, or vampires or zombies to worry about. Only her, her parents and her half brother, Zach. She had been devastated when Zach had overdosed on cocaine and died when she was nine. Even then she'd never displayed any supernatural powers. She hadn't shown any till after the accident. Even now thinking about it brought cold hard tears to her eyes. It had been three years ago. She had been only fourteen…
That cold night in December she was returning from her grandparents house. It was two days after Christmas (and her birthday) and the road was empty because it was almost four in the morning. It happened on the nearly deserted highway as they hummed along to carols on the radio. A drunk driver smashed into them going at least 120MPH. Noelle remembered the pain. It had been excruciating and it zinged up and down her body. Tears poured from her eyes, but she couldn't move. Couldn't see where her parents were. Couldn't stay conscious. She remembered darkness and dreams of death and ghosts.
She had awakened in a hospital apparently from a coma from what the nurse told her. She had been out for a week, but her brain function had strangely soared above normal so she was kept alive.
She had a roommate. A young boy her own age. He'd been there almost a year already because he was terminally ill. She was glad for his company during the six months that she was there. While in the hospital she began to display supernatural powers. She would see the spirits of those who'd died in the hospital and would speak to them. After awhile the nurses alerted the department of people with supernatural powers and when she was fully healed she went to the DPSP to live. They trained her on the use of her newly acquired powers and the use of supernatural weaponry which they used to defeat angry spirits who were harming or harassing people. She visited her old roommate who was still in the hospital until he died a year and a half later. When he died she decided that she had to get on the investigation force of the DPSP so that she could help people.
She started out on a team with two guys. However early on there was an incident in which one of them was killed and the other had to remain in a psychiatric hospital the rest of his life. She went through a grueling two-week training course after that. She had met Cara at the training course. They were quickly partnered together and sent back out. She and Cara had quickly become like sisters even though Cara was a year younger than Noelle.
Noelle remembered the day that Cara died as clearly as though it had happened only the other day not four months ago. They had only worked together about six months when it happened. It had been a dreary day. The clouds colored the sky, dark gray, as if it would begin to rain at any moment. They had been after the spirit of an angry girl at an elementary school who'd been harassing and injuring the live students. Everything went wrong when the girl set the school on fire. Cara had died in the fire that day. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Tears rolled down her cheeks as she remembered. Finally her ride pulled up. She got into the deep blue van silently. It remained silent the entire ride home.
At the DPSP….
"You know that you're not supposed to go off on a mission alone," A tall woman with curly black hair and stern dark red eyes said. Lecturing Noelle who sat in a chair.
"I'm sorry, Miss Donna, I guess I got restless," Noelle replied.
"I can understand that, Noelle, but you should've at least TOLD someone," Donna pointed out. Before Donna could scold Noelle further a young man popped his head in the room.
"Miss Donna, you'll want to see this," He said quickly. In a flash both Donna and Noelle were in the mission control room.
"This murder just happened a few hours ago and this note was found on the victim," The young man said handing the note to Donna to read. She read it quickly a look of concern coming over face. Silently she handed the note to Noelle to read.
"To the DPSP" it read, "This is only the beginning. However I must request that Noelle Denson investigate this case. Any others will die,"
It wasn't signed and therefore could not be traced through handwriting.
"I guess you have a new mission then, Noelle," Donna said
"Looks like it," Noelle sighed.
"Will you be able to handle it alone?" Donna asked concerned for the teenagers' safety.
"It doesn't say that I have to," Noelle pointed out. She was a little shaken by the thought of facing a murderer alone. Donna looked at her sympathetically.
"I have a few connections," Donna said finally "Nobody from the DPSP will be with you on this," She paused " But I can find you help and I will," she walked to the door "Go home and get some rest. You start tomorrow," She left.
Noelle let herself into the tiny house only a block from DPSP headquarters. She had lived here for nearly three years and it felt like home. She made herself a cup of tea, curled up on the sofa and clicked on the news. Without meaning to she fell asleep on the sofa. She awoke the next morning to the doorbell.
"I'll be there in a minute!" She called as she flung on a pair of denim Capri's and a yellow one-shoulder top "I'm sorry about that," she said opening the door.
"Miss Denson?" the man before her asked. She nodded entranced by his bright amethyst eyes.
"You're the help Miss Donna sent?" Noelle asked gingerly. The man nodded. Her eyes then fell on the teenage boy beside him. They widened in shock as they swept over his short sandy-blonde hair and settled on his bright green eyes, "P-please come in," She lead them into the living room her mind quickly clouding with questions.
"This is where you live?" the boy asked as he and the man sat on the sofa. She took the black leather armchair.
"Well, since I joined the DPSP. May I ask your name?" Noelle replied looking at the man.
"I'm Tsuzuki," the man replied running a hand through his dark brown hair. She looked at the boy. He avoided her gaze. 'It has to be a coincidence,' she thought to herself 'It can't possibly be him,'
"C'mon Hisoka, don't be rude," Tsuzuki nudged the boy.
"Hisoka Kurosaki?" Noelle asked shocked at hearing his name again, "I thought you were dead,"
"I am," Hisoka replied bluntly.
"Then…" She looked at him confused "O you're a guardian of death now right?" She asked. Everyone at the department knew to watch for them because if they showed up then the DPSP was to leave that case alone "Did Donna explain the mission to you?"
"Yeah. Sounds like a tough one," Tsuzuki replied.
"Matt, our autopsy specialist said that the victim by poisoning and the body seems to have been used for some sick experimentation," Noelle explained.
"There aren't any suspects?" Hisoka asked curiously.
"So far, no," Noelle sighed "And we have no leads. No evidence. We had the body checked for ANY possible evidence, but it was clean. Whoever did this is either very good or a perfectionist,"
"I guess we just wait for something to happen now?" Tsuzuki asked.
"Yeah. Donna will call as soon as something significant happens," Noelle replied.
"Oh I almost forgot. How do you know Hisoka?" Tsuzuki asked Noelle.
"Noelle was my roommate at the hospital," Hisoka replied.
"I was in a car accident," Noelle said quickly knowing what he'd ask next "A drunk driver caused it. My parents died that night," She added quietly.
"Oh I'm sorry," Tsuzuki said looking at his knees.
"I never had any supernatural powers before the accident," She said "I developed them while I was in the hospital"
"So what kind of powers do you have?" Hisoka asked. She hadn't told him before and he was curious.
"I can heal myself and I can see ghosts," She replied with a small smile "That's why I work for the department for people with supernatural powers," Se paused "I'm seventeen by the way."
Suddenly the phone rang. The all stood quickly. Noelle walked briskly to the phone and picked it up.
"Hello," Noelle said
"Noelle, there's been another murder. You need to get down here right away," Donna's voice said smoothly through the phone.
"We'll be right there?" Noelle replied.
"You're help came?"
"Yes. They're here. Thank you."
"Go straight to Matt when you get here,"
"Yes ma'am," Noelle hung up the phone "we have to go. There's been another murder," she slid on her plain brown sandals and they walked the block to the DPSP. Noelle lead them to the autopsy room.
"Ah Noelle," A young man with a mop of black hair and forest green eyes greeted them.
"Hello again, Matt," Noelle said. He showed them the body.
"The same as before," he said shaking his head "Poisoned. The body shows signs of physical cruelty, but that's not the cause of death," He took a piece of paper out of his pocket "This was found on the victim," he handed the note to Noelle.
"Lovely Noelle" it read, "Here's a clue as to the next murder. Think you can solve it in time? 'As night falls the broken heart rises,' you have till eleven thirty tomorrow night,"
"That makes no sense," Hisoka said after reading the note.
"We'll have to wrack our brains over this one," Noelle said slipping the note in her pocket "Thank you Matt,"