A/N: Another chapter up for the addicts. For anyone reading this, more chapters are up on my site.
Chaos Erupts
Seras stumbled out of bed in the middle of the afternoon, her stomach telling her lunch was long past and supper was coming soon. She grumbled to herself as she took her shower and sat down for a healthy meal of chocolate cereal and coffee. The young woman reminded herself for the millionth time to stop by the grocery store on the way to work, as no convenience area could be found open on her way back to her apartment.
Finishing her meal as the sun made its decent in the sky, Seras stood to her feet and grabbed the keys to her car off the coffee table. She gave the strange book upon the surface a fleeting glance as she wondered whether one of her coworkers could answer the riddle of the unusual gift. However, seeing that the time was near to her shift she quickly brushed aside her curiosity and left her apartment, making sure to lock the door after herself.
Seras walked down the stairs to the bottom floor and strode to her car, her eyes falling upon her old car with some affection. As she slipped into the driver's seat and turned the ignition, the lights turned on and revealed the dark and deserted street. She turned out of her parking spot and began the fifteen minute drive to her place of occupation.
The trip was surprisingly quick as Seras soon neared the station, her headlights illuminating a better part of town so close to the police headquarters. With a stifled yawn she turned a corner, only to have her mouth frozen in the same position as the police station came into view.
Her comrades were walking all around the building while several cars were out front where she could plainly see barrier tape blocking off the sidewalk in front of the building. She slowed the car to a crawl and quietly parked the vehicle a distance, stepping out of the car with a bewildered expression upon her face. The young police girl began walking toward the scene, her eyes gazing about the mess of curious onlookers, strained police officer faces, and a general air of confusion.
"I...I can't remember anything" she heard a lieutenant slowly say to one of the questioning officers as she passed an open police car, his face contorted with disbelief. "One minute we were all doing our jobs, and the next thing anyone knew everyone was waking up and the place was a mess."
"You all slept through the attack?" the other officer asked as Seras walked by them.
Seras was not able to hear anymore of the interview as she was suddenly pulled aside by one of her superiors, a captain by the name of William Roy.
"Where have you been? Have you heard what happened?" he quickly asked her as he led her into the station. "The chief has been asking where you were."
Seras was barely able to shake her head in the negative when she viewed the inside of the building. The chairs were turned over and papers from the desks were scattered about the large room, with not a single piece of furniture untouched. The walls had been ripped of their posters and even the glass separating the superior officers' rooms had been broken.
"What a mess" Seras quietly spoke, her voice in awe over the chaos.
"Yeah. They found some of the guys on the ground dumped out of their chairs and others were on top of the mess" he explained, stepping over a fallen file cabinet. "But they really did a number to your stuff."
"What?!" Seras exclaimed as she rushed over to her desk and found his words to be true.
While the other desks had been rummaged through and then turned over, hers had been torn apart. Her drawers were splinters of their former selves and the top of the furniture had been broken in half. Her chair was now kindling and her papers looked like they had been run through a shredder. All that remained mostly intact was the frame of a picture which had once held her father, but now the photo was nowhere to be found.
Seras had been trained well enough not to touch the scene of a crime, but she desperately wished to search for her father's picture. She had very few copies of the photo and she prized them above all else. The young woman was just about to bend down to see if she could see the photo when she was startled from her thoughts.
"Seras" a voice suddenly called behind where she stood, catching her attention. She quickly turned to find the police chief, Harry Anders, standing behind. "May I talk with you for a moment?"
"Y-yes, sir" she stammered nervously, following her superior to a far corner of the cluttered and busy room.
When they reached the wall he turned and stood face to face with his obviously befuddled subordinate.
"Can you tell us anything about what happened and why your desk was their main focus?" he asked as he crossed his arms over his chest, his eyes looking at her intently.
"I'm not even sure what happened, sir" she truthfully responded, shaking her head in confusion.
"Well, we're not really sure what happened" Harry sighed, shaking his head as he looked about his ruined territory. "The men here were wide awake a little after sundown, and the next they were all waking up to find this carnage." He gave her a scrutinized look as one of his hands settled heavily upon her small shoulders. "Do you know anything about this, or why anyone would want to attack your desk in particular?"
"I honestly don't know anything, chief" she answered, blinking against his heavy, penetrating stare. "Nothing lately has happened" she informed, squirming beneath his grip.
For a long moment Harry held her in his grasp, his eyes unblinking as he looked into her innocent face. Then he sighed and dropped his arm, shaking his head as he gave her a small smile.
"I suppose they must have seen your name plate and decided you were a good target, kitten" he said, playfully using her pet name. "Anyway, there's nothing you can do here at the moment. I've given your colleagues the night off while the forensic specialists search the area, so you may as well go home, too."
"Yes, sir" Seras responded as she nodded her head and turned to leave.
However, she was stopped from going as Harry spoke one last time.
"And kitten" he said, a twinkle in his eye as she turned to look at him. "Be careful out there. You never know what information these professionals stole" he advised, a seriousness to his tone.
Seras nodded her head in understanding and worked her way through the mess, being mindful not to touch anything. She eventually made her way out the front doors and into the cool night air, the crowds of onlookers long dispersed and the police beginning their careful peruse of the area. She nodded her head in greeting as she padded them by, but they appeared to be intent on finding evidence to the baffling case.
Seras reached her car and sat behind the wheel, her mind clicking with a memory she had forgotten during the excitement. Harry had asked her if anything had been going on, and she had entirely forgotten about the prank phone call and arrival of the mysterious book.
"Tomorrow I'll tell him" as she stifled a yawn with her hand, her bed looking tempting as she turned on the car and heading back toward her apartment.
The drive was uneventful and she again climbed the stairs to her floor, the hallway lights dimly leading the way to her door. However, when she reached the portal she noticed a light beneath the frame, and she knew she had not left any on when she had gone to work. The door was also slightly ajar, but did not show any signs of forced entry.
One of Seras' hands reached down to hold the butt of the gun at her waist as the other slowly pushed the door open. She peeked her head in and found a surprise waiting for her on the couch in the form of a tall, darkly dressed woman.
"Well, come in" the women suddenly spoke, startling the police officer as the door seemed to swing open on itself. "I don't bite...often."
"Who are you and what are you doing in my apartment?" Seras questioned in a firm voice as she stepped fully into the living room.
"I'm a friend" the stranger replied, eyes the gun with a bit of humor in her dark violet eyes. "I saw your door was ajar and decided to protect your abode until you came back."
"I swore I locked that door" she slowly spoke as she kept a firm grasp on the gun at her hip.
"You must have forgotten" the strange woman responded, smiling widely. "Strange dreams can do that to you."
At those words Seras froze, her eyes wide in confusion as she looked to the woman seated comfortably upon her couch. No one could have known her strange dream from the night before, as she had not had time nor the opportunity to tell a soul, but yet this intruder knew with total confidence in her voice.
"Who are you?" Seras repeated her question, stepping forward in a threatening tone, though the effect was the complete opposite of the one she desired.
"I'm afraid your not very frightening, child" the woman said with a laugh. Then she suddenly turned serious, her eyes flashing with a strange light. "My name is irrelevant, but if you insist you may have it. Narcissa."
"And what are you doing here?" the police girl asked, grateful to have some cooperation from her unwanted guest.
"Ahh, now you come to the important question" Narcissa spoke as she slowly raised one of her hands. Within her grasp she held the strange book, the cover dull in the light. "Where did you get this book and when did it come?"
"I'm the one who will be asking the questions" Seras quickly replied as her hand twitched on the butt of the gun.
"Suit yourself" the woman responded in a nonchalant manner as she set the book upon her lap. "But you won't get answers with that attitude" she teasingly added, her head leaning down as her eyes looked upward at the police kitten. "Though I doubt you'll ask the right questions, anyway."
"What do you mean?" Seras asked, mindful to keep the door ajar behind her ash she took a step further into the room.
"Ah, there's the reaction I was looking for" Narcissa responded with more enthusiasm, a grin crossing her face. "And I'm referring to this dear little gift someone left you" she explained holding aloft the dark covered piece of empty literature. "I'm curious" she added, giving Seras a sidelong glance. "Who wrote the first few pages?"
"Don't play games with me" Seras threatened, inching her way over to the phone. She now dearly regretted not having bought a cellphone. "There's nothing written in that book."
"Are you so sure?" the woman asked, giving a small chuckle. "Perhaps you want to look for yourself" she spoke as she suddenly threw the square object in Seras' direction.
Without thinking the Police Girl dove for the book, managing to catch the item before it hit the ground. However, she realized her foolish predicament quite quickly as a shadow rose over her lying form, forcing her to look up into the amused face of Narcissa.
"A little protective, are we?" she teased, kneeling down in front of the apartment's owner. "Perhaps there is a reason you have the book."
Seras made no reply as she carefully watched the woman's movements, mindful to be aware of any sudden attacks. Her expression must have revealed her thoughts as the intruder clucked her tongue and shook her head in disappointment.
"You're losing your focus, little one" Narcissa spoke, rising to her feet and allowing Seras some room to breath. "Don't you want to look in the book?" she inquired, catching the kitten's attention.
Seras gave the guest a quizzical look as she slowly, cautiously rose up into a sitting position, the book in her lap. With one eye on the woman, she carefully opened the book's cover. To her utter amazement, words were now written upon the pages. She quickly flipped through and found Narcissa's words to be true, as the letters stared back at her confused face.
What terrified her more, however, was the story told on those few pages.
As Seras skimmed through a few of the paragraphs, she realized the story told nearly resembled the dream she'd had the night before. The darkness of the trees, the lost boy, all the details stood out to her eager eyes. The only portion of the tale missing was any mention of her having been in the woods with the small boy.
With an expression of complete puzzlement Seras lifted her eyes upward into the face of the bemused Narcissa, one word upon her lips.
"How?"
Narcissa returned her simple question with a smile, her eyes one more flashing with an eerie light.
"Now we're getting to the right questions."
