Firefly

The assignment

Her eyes blinked open at the sound of ringing and she let out a sigh. A new day, a new adventure.

“Hopefully nothing go wrong today,” she murmured, pushing the blanket off her and getting on her feet.

After washing up and having her usual a glass of milk, she grabbed her backpack and walked to the door. Having slept late last night, she was yawning non-stop and hoping for some time for a short nap.

“One more time he lays his hand on my bottom, I’m going to kick his ass,” she muttered, opening the door and getting out of the apartment. She locked the door and headed to the stairs.

She crossed her arms and waited for the bus impatiently. She did not want to be late again but who could predict the bus driver’s mood today. Sometimes he came right on time, and sometimes she reached her work place right in time. “Hopefully this time he’s right on schedule,” she murmured to herself, looking at her watch for the tenth time in fifteen minutes.

“Finally,” she waved her hand at the incoming bus and quickly climbed into it when it stopped right in front of her. She paid the exact amount and quickly rested her bottom at the front seat, empty right next to a very familiar man. She gave him a good glare as a warning before looked to the front.

“Not again,” she muttered under her breath and turned angry glare at him but he only grinned. This was the last straw and she would not accept this anymore.

“Excuse me?”

“Yeah?” he was grinning smugly, as if he was daring her to expose what he did.

“Do not ever sexually abuse me ever again, you freak!” she slapped him hard before rammed her bag between his thighs as he howled in pain.

“Is everything alright?”

She did not even realise the bus had stopped and the driver had approached them. She looked at him with her watery eyes. Her shaking hand pointed at the howling man, ”This man has been sexually abused me several times and I can’t take it anymore.”

“Is she telling the truth?” the driver gave a stern look at the abuser.

“She’s lying. I didn’t even touch her!”

Her jaw dropped at his lie. She could not believe this. He lied in front of everyone.

“How dare you lie in front of everyone, you sex maniac!”

The man looked around, nervous when the passengers were giving him weird look while whispering to each other. He gulped. “I’m innocent. She attacked me!”

“Call the police, please,” the driver asked one of the men, holding the abuser with the help from another man.

“Wait! I’m innocent!”

Anne watched with satisfaction as the abuser squirmed and cried for help as the policeman came with his grim expression.

“So you’re taking advantage of a weak woman, aren’t you? Come with me. You too, miss. I need your report.”

Anne looked at her watch. She was late whether she liked it or not. Letting a heavy sigh, she nodded and quickly got out of the bus, following the policeman.

                                                                                                       *****

“You’re late.”

She threw them a glare after throwing her bag onto the desk. The police report took longer than she thought it would. She had to repeat her story few times to the inspector before he was satisfied and let her go.

“Ooh . . . scary~”

Anne grabbed the snow globe from her desk and threw it to Malik. He avoided it, laughing as he watched her looking for something else to throw.

“Cool your temper. I have a new assignment.”

Everyone turned to look at Eddie, their leader. He was so serious, sometimes they wondered whether he even knew how to laugh.

“Alright. Have you heard about the Amethyst kingdom?”

“You mean the cursed kingdom?” Malik asked, sitting next to Irwan who was busy typing furiously in his computer.

“The curse is just a rumour. But the kingdom is real. Here, an invitation to Her Royal Highness Princess Baiduri’s birthday next week,” Eddie showed them a golden card.

“And how do you get the invitation, Boss?” Anne asked, her mind was not on the subject but more at the Tupperware in her drawer. Who stole her marshmallow?

“They want media coverage on the party. Something about thanking her for breaking the curse? It’s rubbish of course. There is no curse but there is something there. Something worth to publish about.”

“It says here, until the birth of the royal princess, the kingdom, although it was no longer a kingdom but those who live there never had a peaceful day. Fight, argument and havoc, and even plague swallowed the kingdom until everyone left. The royal family returned on the first year of Princess Baiduri and everything started to take place again,” Irwan read loudly from the website he found.

“A curse breaker? Sound like it,” Malik unwrapped a strawberry lollipop and began sucking it loudly.

“You took my marshmallow!”

“Me? I didn’t. Why do you always accuse me on everything?” Malik jumped to his feet and took steps backward as Anne stormed angrily, holding her empty Tupperware.

Eddie glanced at Irwan who was nervously wiping his lips. He chuckled but quickly adopted his serious face. The kids should not see how amusing they were to him and he must keep his reputation as a badass to control them.

“Times up. Now, I want Irwan and Anne to go there and get the story about a painting. The forgotten royal painting. I have requested to the Palace to do a story about it and they agreed, lucky for us. Malik, where is the story about the watch keeper?”

“I need five more minutes to edit it. Can someone catch this werewolf from hurting me?”

“Werewolf? Are you calling me a werewolf?”

Irwan and Eddie quickly caught Anne before she scratched his face. Malik quickly ran out, hiding himself until her fury disappeared.