Ms. Revenge

Reunion

"Good morning Ms. Bennet!" a cheery voice called out to me. My heels clicked against the office tiles, my skirt shifting against my legs as I walked through the hallways.

"Good morning to you too!" I called back as I strolled towards her. My red nails clutched a stack of files on a recent case, and I shuffled through the cubicles to give a petite woman a side-hug. I did not recognize her, but played along. Her pink lips brushed against my cheek, and I smiled against her shoulder.

"How have you been? I haven't seen you in ages!" she squealed as she released me. "It's been years since you last visited Long Island."

"Well," I replied, still smiling. "I've had a lovely time in Miami. The weather over the years is lovely, you should absolutely visit sometime!"

The woman chuckled and replied, "Oh, I wish. The cases over here have gotten me all busy! I haven't even had my morning coffee yet."

I pulled back a little to frown at her. "Oh dear, I hope they haven't gotten you too worked up. A lady needs her caffeine; it is essential."

"Well, I guess I can't complain too much. It was nothing compared to the last time we worked together, right?" The woman laughed and nudged me good-naturedly.

"Of course, of course," I replied in return, laughing with her. This time though, my laugh held an icy edge.

As we finished our idle chat, I continued to walk the rest of the way to my cubicle. By the time I got there, red half moons were indented in my palm, and I sat down in a rush. After I realized who the petite woman was, I couldn't help the red hot blood boiling in my veins. Containing my anger was easy, but letting go of it was another story.

Carefully, I brushed my brown hair into an updo, painfully aware of its new length. Just as I put the final pin in place, the phone in the corner of the table rang. Reeling in my huff of frustration, I gripped the phone and put it against my ear.

"Hello, this is the Long Island Police Department, how may I help you?" I said with as much brightness as I could muster.

"How's your first day going, Dear?" a deep voice said into the phone. My fingers immediately loosened by deathly grip on the phone, and I sunk into the chair.

I blew out an air of annoyance into the phone. "Fine, fine." I replied as I fumbled through the papers. "Our friend made acquaintances with a lot of people while she was working on my parents' case."

"And now," I continued, "I have to deal with them."

I heard Nicholas chuckle through the phone. "They are just more resources to use, Dela. Remember what you came for."

"Yeah, I know. How's our friend doing, by the way?" I asked in a slightly lower voice.

Nicholas paused before answering. "She is currently asleep. In fact, she spends most of her day sleeping so it hasn't been too much trouble."

"Good." I replied. "I'm planning on having you join me in Long Island soon. I will just need a little more hair to be less conspicuous."

I could hear Nicholas sigh through the screen. "Thank goodness Dela. I've missed you."

"I've missed you too," I replied. Nicholas was my partner-in-crime, and his absence had made me feel lonelier than ever in Long Island.

"Your parents are waiting for you," he added. "I think they've waited long enough."

I smiled to myself, and my excitement grew as my heart sped up rapidly.

"I think so too."