1 The City of Wonders

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"Ugh..."

Finally, after a couple of attempts I managed to turn off the alarm. It was 05,30 in the morning. My body felt heavy. Barely managing to open my eyes. Nervousness and a nice nightmare did not help in getting a good night rest. The room was dark. The scenes from the dream still clouded my mind. Somehow I got out of bed, flipped the light switch and straight into the bathroom. The sudden light illuminating the small bedroom, almost blinded me. Turning the cold water on and splashing my face over the sink somehow got me back to reality. My reflection in the mirror did not look good. With my messy blond hair and the bloodshot eyes, I looked like a heroin addict.

"I need to prepare... Can't be late on my first day."

So I hurriedly started my daily routine. Shower, shaving and getting into nice and clean clothes from the closet. Black pants, blue shirt and a leather jacket. It's best to keep it simple.

"Thank god I don't have to wear the uniform anymore."

Looking at my reflection and seeing my old blue WCPD uniform in he closet made me smile. Still my heart was beating a bit faster thinking about the promotion that i got to official detective of the WCPD.

The uniform was terrible. It was always hot in it because of the poliester materials. With the big cap that we were wearing all the time, it was not pleasant to work. Not to mention when running after perp's it would always fall. Remembering how the captain would jell at me for loosing it, made me even more glad to finally hang it in the closet forever.

(perp's: An abbreviation for perpetrator's. Someone suspected of a crime)

Still looking at my uniform, something brushed against my leg.

"Meow!"

I looked down, surprised by this sudden voice.

"Lucky. You need to stop sneaking up on me. One day you will give me a heart attack."

My cat Lucky was begging me for food. His fur was shiny black, with beautiful green eyes. He was looking at me like he understood but didnt give a damn.

"Let's make breakfast."

I picked him up and went to the kitchen. The apartment was small and had no living room, but the rent was cheap. So no TV. No sofa. No place to relax. Out of the bedroom and you are right in the kitchen. The only thing that this apartment had going for it was the view form the window in the kitchen. You could see the city stretching far into the distance. All kinds of tall buildings and houses can be seen. Since it was dawn the view was breathtaking. Living on the 27th floor really had some perks. It was really hard to find an affordable apartment in Wonder city.

"Meow! Meow!"

Placing him on the little table he knew the food would be comming soon.

"Premium cat food for you and "Premium Cereals" for me, he he."

Eating cereal with Lucky and looking out the window was already a routine behaviour for me. It was relaxing watching the people swarming the streets. after some time somehow my mind drifted away to the horrible nightmare last night.

" Shit..... Some stuff you can never forget..."

It haunted me. It was always the same. Screaming. Blood. Fire. Fear. It was hard not to be affected by it. Trying to take my mind off it I turned to Lucky.

"You know Lucky. Now that I have become detective my pay will be much better. So maybe next month we can start searching for a new place to live. What do you say?"

Looking at Lucky he didn't even raise his head. He was still gobbling down his cat food like there is no tomorrow. It was unbelievable how much that cat can eat. But he didn't get any fatter.

"Yea a new apartment would do us both good."

Patting his head and slightly opening the window, I finally finished my cereal and went to the door. It was time to go. Lucky was still eating but I always leave the window open for him. He liked to climb out and go on a walk alone. There were fire escape stairs so he would climb down and go wherever he wants. I couldn't leave him in the apartment all day alone and he can take care of himself. After my shift, he would always be waiting for me at home. He kinda has a wild side to him. Probably because i picked him up from the street when he was still a small kitten.

Putting on my new white Allstar sneaker's instead of the standard issue uncomfortable hard black shoes really felt good.

"06,15 I hope I will have luck in traffic or else I could be late to work."

The new police station where I am stationed was kinda far away needing at least 1 hour with the public transport to get there. My shift started at 08,00. But for my first introduction I need to be there a bit earlier. Phone, wallet, keys and documents for my transfer. Everything was here. Activating the alarm it was time to go.

After locking my door and turning around I almost collided with someone.

"Ooops. Sorry Miss Sierra!"

Finally noticing the beauty standing in front of me I apologised. Thought I would LOVE to slam into HER.

The face of an angel, deep green eyes, long blonde hair and a perfect body ratio, Sierra, is for me one of the most beautiful elves I have ever seen. A Wood Elf to be precise. Since wood elves have high affinity to nature, she seemed to radiate with calmness witch enhanced her looks even more.

"Oh, Mr. Theophanes! You startled me! Why are you in such a hurry?"

"Ah. Sorry, sorry. I'm in a rush to my new job. And please don't use my full name its embarrassing. Everyone call's me Theo."

Ah, my full name really is a bit embarrassing. Sometimes I think my parents gave it to me as a joke. And no one has ever managed to pronounce it right.

(Theophanes Greek name meaning manifestation of god, pronounced Theo-fawn-ees)

"Yes! I remembered you telling me about it the other day about how you got promoted. I completely forgot about it."

She knocked on her head with her cute small hand. My god, how can anyone be so cute. I actually spaced out for a second.

'Crap i can't talk with her now i will be late.'

"Sorry miss Sierra I would love to talk, but I really need to get going or I will be late"

"Ah! Of course, good luck...."

I rushed towards the stairs because I needed to get down 2 floors because the damn elevator did not work properly. Reporting it to the building managaer did not help. It seemed like I will need to talk to him again. Maybe Sierra wanted to say something else but I really can't be late. Each time I talked to her, I started hitting on her. You really can't help yourself. The charm of beautiful women really is dangerous. Thankfully its still early and not many people were up so the elevator came really fast and in no time I was already in front of the building. There was already heavy traffic. Everyone was rushing. Some start the day, even earlier than me. Humans, Orks, Elves, Beastmen and all kinds of flying creatures were already rushing to their job. Wonder City really did not discriminate. Everyone can find an opportunity to live and succeed. Looking at my watch there is no way i could make it in time if I use the public transport.

"Taxi!"

Waving my hand in the air and whistling and really soon there was a yellow cab already in front of me. I jumped right into it. It was not uncommon for someone to 'steal' someone's called cab. Inside was quite clean and nice. When I looked at the driver, immediately I knew why.

"Where to, Sir?"

The driver was a Racoon, a subspecies from the Beastmen, they were known for their obsession for clean things and tidiness. His shirt was pearl white, and from his fur you could smell a whiff of lavender. I truly hit the jackpot. Thank God the driver was not a Goblin or an Ork.

"WCPD Police department. The main one. On Solomon street."

"No problem. I know where that is."

"Thanks! And please can you take some shortcuts i need to be there by 07,30"

He just smiled, showing his white canine teeth.

"No problem, Sir. We will get you there in time."

I leaned back and started to browse through the news on my phone. There was really nothing interesting. The only hot news these days is the debate should flying creatures be allowed to fly through the sky in Wonder city. It was really a conundrum. There are allot of flying species: Angels, Demons, Vampires, Birdmen and even some humans with special abilities that allowed them to soar through the skies. Not to mention special artifacts that Witches and Mages use. The flying is regulated properly and there are not many accidents, but the problem is the safety. Flying away after doing a crime. Robbing some apartment on the 55th floor or even attacking someone with a weapon and flying away from the scene are things that happened daily. Catching someone who can fly required also some special tools or officers that can use the same ability. Well, most apartments in buildings have an alarm spell placed on them, but there were always some exceptions.

Looking through the window I noticed we were driving through some unfamiliar street.

''Don't worry Sir. I know this part of the city like the stripes on my tail. Soon we will arrive right in front of the station."

"Heh i trust you. So tell me whats your name?"

"The name is Barney, Sir"

"So Barney, how long are you a taxi driver?"

"10 years already!"

"You must have seen allot of stuff while working."

"Well, I must say its not the most glamorous job, but it is enough to feed my family. Feeding 5 mouths is not easy, but me and my wife we get by."

He pointed at some pictures that he hung up on the dashboard. There was his wife and 5 small baby Racoons. Barney smiled brilliantly and looked truly proud of what he was doing. It's nice to see a good family man.

''If I may ask. What are you going to the police station for? I hope it's not for something bad..."

Hearing a bit worry in his voice made me smile a bit. He was worried that he is not transporting

some criminal.

"Ha ha don't worry, I'm not what you think. I'm a detective. Just started working."

"Oooooh a detective that is interesting!"

We chatted a little bit about my job to pass the time. He was really interested and even his grandfather was a Cop. But he retired long time ago. Soon we were right in front of the station.

"Thanks Barney. Right on time. How much do I owe you?"

"Nothing!"

"Nothing?"

"Yea this ride is on me. You just get to work and keep the streets safe. But next time if you are late ill charge you double."

"Hahahah fiar enogh. Thanks and take care"

I waved him goodbye and turned to the building behind me. It was huge and glamorous. Built 100 years ago, it was the symbol of safety and might of Wonder city. It was the first police station made in Wonder city and also the biggest. Two huge pillars stood beside the big door which was wide open and above them crafted from black marble are the words "TO SERVE AND TO PROTECT". Truly a proud monument that stood against time. The history of Wonder city is not a pretty one and one of the institutions that guided the city to what it is today was the Wonder City Police Department. A city with so many different worlds, cultures and creatures living in it was bound to be chaotic to say the least, but the police department with their continuous hard work work brought peace.

'First day of work. Here we go...'