Mary Beth

Life in itself, with its storms and its greatness, its monotony and its variety, becomes a sort of tragic epitome, and perhaps that is why we enjoy it with fevered haste and an intensified delight.

I may seem like an average man, with modest ambitions and limited resources, but circumstances beyond my control have led me down an unexpected path. A Federal Agent.

To anyone, this job may seem like a respected one, but nothing really changes; my salary is not enough to afford my hobbies, and despite being in my thirties, I have no one that I can say loves me.

But in recent years, two things have happened that add curiosity to me. Till now I have only read a novel about people returning from the dead, but when this phase occurs in reality, it catches the attention of our department.

The other is Mary Beth, who is perusing research papers while seated next to me in the passenger seat.

She was one of those lovely beings that became the cynosure of all eyes everywhere they went. Their wealth and beauty are equally brilliant. On their train is a court of zealous devotees.

She was raised in Paris by her French mother and is currently living in Chicago, carrying on the legacy of her late father, who died three years ago.

She is twenty-four years old, and I know that sometimes I feel ashamed of myself for getting attracted to her when our age difference is more than ten years.

But I fail every time; her black hair and blue eyes have a completely different charm that attracts any man around her.

She, on her side, despite being on duty, received my devotion with certain favors. She condensed to laugh at my jokes and to be interested in my stories.

Suddenly, an unusual wave of air hit our vehicle, indicating that something had exploded. Following the wave was the defining sound of an explosion a few miles away from our location.

-'Bomb explosion at Arcane Park. No casualties were reported. requesting an immediate presence on the scene. Code red' -

We received a telegraphic message through the radio of the vehicle.

"Step on the gas, hurry!" Mary said, hastily placing all her papers in the glove compartment as I accelerated the car.

"Yes, ma'am," I replied. We arrived at the park in just fifteen minutes, finding fire vehicles and a huge suction pump at work. The area was sealed off, and smoke hung heavily in the air.

I got out of the car, followed closely by Ms. Beth, and we approached the shattered ground.

As she stepped into the camp, she approached the person in charge of managing the situation, the head of DHA.

The man, donning a yellow jacket with black stripes and a mask, looked bulky and sturdy. She perused the papers and maps scattered on the table before addressing him.

"Are you the one in charge?" she asked, the handkerchief she had retrieved from her pocket covering her mouth to protect her from the excessive toxin smoke.

"Yes, ma'am," he replied, his voice muffled by the mask.

She showed her ID to him before continuing.

"Currently, we have placed a neutralizer to contain the radioactive waves. The presence of radioactive waves is at 300 millirems, which is not harmful to people in the area.

Moreover, there are no casualties, as someone alerted us about the bomb before it went off," he continued in a professional yet urgent tone.

"Someone alerted you?" she asked as she raised her brows.

"The emergency call operator received a call from a man's voice, likely between the ages of 18 and 20," he explained.

"Why don't you have information about the caller?" she inquired further.

"The phone used to make the call was stolen, and the rightful owner has no knowledge of this incident." Additionally, all the camera feeds in the area have been deliberately deleted," he replied.

"We'll discuss this later. For now, let's focus on securing the area. My department will take over the investigation," she stated firmly.

"Understood, ma'am," he replied before leaving the camp to execute her orders.

"Brooke, retrieve that phone. We may be able to access the camera feeds or search for the perpetrator's fingerprints, and scan the route that man walked and see if you can get any pictures of the thief from the cameras of nearby stores," she instructed me.

"Ma'am, I suggest you leave this area." "It's highly toxic," I reminded her.

"Thank you for your concern, Brooke, but I'll depart shortly," she replied with a determined nod as I left the camp.

After leaving the camp, I headed to a nearby surveillance van to analyse the footage from the cameras around Arcane Park.

I scanned through hours of footage, hoping to find any clue that would lead to the perpetrator or the one who informed the operator.

Finally, after several hours of reviewing the footage, I came across a crucial piece of evidence.

A toy store's surveillance camera had captured the suspect passing by a man and swiftly taking the phone from his pocket before entering the park.

"I need to know who this individual is, immediately," I instructed the team in charge of the investigation.

"Understood, sir," the team leader replied, as they began utilizing all available resources to identify the suspect.

"Kael Hashirae, a seventeen-year-old male, is an orphan with a military background. His current guardian is his uncle. He comes from an above-average socioeconomic family and was recently admitted to Arcane Academy. Kael resides in a two-story apartment located in Reyley Park. The investigator revealed his information.

However, it was revealed that the suspect was just a potential suspect and only seventeen years old.

"This is a juvenile case now", I muttered. But either way, the investigation teams can make an internal settlement and let us at least question the kid or keep an eye on him.

"Print his ID and info on one page", I said.

"Yes, sir", he replied.

After printing out the information on the suspect, I made my way back to where Mary was waiting for me.

As I approached her, she had a handkerchief over her mouth and gestured for us to talk in the car.

She entered the car and wiped her face with the handkerchief, arranging her hair and drinking some water from the bottle kept inside the glove box of the door.

I handed her the paper with the suspect's details. She scanned through it quickly before looking back up at me.

"This changes things," she said. "We need to head to Reyley Park."

"Are you sure about this?" "This is a juvenile case," I asked, concerned about the legal implications.

Mary looked up at me; her eyes were unwavering. "Doesn't really matter. Practically, he has the mind of a post-teen; he is almost an adult, and this area's juvenile cases are handled by my friend. I can talk this out with him," she replied confidently.

I nodded and started the car, driving towards Reyley Park. As we made our way there, Mary remained silent, lost in thought.

It was clear that she was already formulating a plan on how to approach the situation.

Upon reaching the two-story apartment where Kael was staying, Mary took the lead and spoke with the security guard at the entrance, showing him her badge and explaining the situation.

After a few minutes, we were allowed inside and made our way to Kael's apartment. Mary knocked on the door, and the same kid answered.

After a few minutes of waiting, the door to the apartment opened, and a young man who appeared to be around seventeen years old answered.

He wore simple clothes, a grey t-shirt and black pyjamas, and a cap even though it was nighttime.

"Good afternoon, sir. We are here to speak with Kael Hashirae," Mary said in a calm, professional tone, despite knowing the person she was talking to was the same person.

"Ah, of course, may I know what this is about, miss?", he asked back. Despite his young age, Kael's demeanour exuded maturity and confidence.

"We had some questions regarding a personal investigation; do you mind calling Kael, sir?", she asked.

"You are having a conversation with Kael; please come in", he responded as he gestured for us to come in.

As we entered the apartment, I couldn't help but notice the dark, luxurious atmosphere that engulfed us.

The living room was dimly lit, with a grand chandelier hanging from the ceiling, casting a soft glow around the room.

The walls were painted black and adorned with expensive, intricate artwork that only added to the eerie yet elegant atmosphere.

In the centre of the room was a sleek, 80-inch TV mounted over a grand fireplace with a roaring fire that only added to the grandeur of the living room.

As we looked around, I couldn't help but notice how organised and spotless everything was.

Not a single item was out of place, and the room was meticulously designed, from the placement of the artwork to the perfectly positioned candles that flickered softly on a nearby table.

"I apologise for the inconvenience, but unfortunately, I've just moved here and my kitchen is bare. I'm unable to offer coffee or any other beverages at this time. However, I can certainly order something for you if you'd like." Kael offered.

"No thank you, Kael. We just have a few questions, and we'll be out of your hair in no time. We appreciate your cooperation," Mary replied.

"Of course, please make yourselves comfortable," Kael responded, gesturing towards the couch.

"Now, Kael, let's get straight to the point. How did you know there was a bomb in the park?" Mary inquired.

Kael explained, "I was able to detect the presence of radioactive particles, which caused the end of my hair to stand up due to the ionisation of air molecules." If you have access to nearby surveillance cameras, I'm confident you'll find evidence of this.

Additionally, I noticed a child vomiting near the bin, and many individuals walking by the park exhibited unusual symptoms, such as fatigue and headaches. For example, the person whose phone I took was repeatedly rubbing their temples while sipping their coffee. Furthermore, there were no signals in that area."

I was somewhat impressed by Kael's sharp intellect and analytical mind. It was clear that he was not an average teenager and had a unique way of looking at things.

"What about that phone you took without permission?" She asked, not impressed by his impressive performance.

"Well, I suppose I did borrow it in an emergency. I didn't have a phone at the time, but I did return it," he responded confidently.

"How did you manage to return it without the owner knowing it was missing?" she asked, intrigued.

"I have a few magic tricks up my sleeve," he replied with a sly smile.

"Magic tricks?" she repeated, her eyes squinting as she leaned forward.

"Indeed. "For example," he said, as he produced her own ID from her coat pocket with a flourish, "I can make things appear out of thin air."

She was stunned. "How did you even...?"

"Don't worry, my dear. That was just a demonstration. I promise you, I don't make a habit of stealing things," he said, as he placed her ID carefully on the glass table in front of them.