CORRUPTED FILE [Lumina Chronicles Past Drafts]

Level Twelve: Officer Daniels Is A Jerk, But Marcus Is Nice

*ELLE'S PoV*

"Let's talk, shall we?" Officer Daniels, the police detective who came to my house the day after Maggie disappeared, suggested with a haughty smile.

"Yes, let's," I agreed sharply, putting my hands on my hips and glaring at him. "And let me talk first: What in the world are you doing on my property without my permission?" He had no right to be there, and he especially had no right to sneak up on me like that.

"I'm a detective on this case," He replied with a shrug, "It's my job to be here."

"Oohh," I nodded sarcastically, "It's your job to skulk around my backyard and sneak up on my like some pedophilic forest-hobo?" I was not going to let up on him. He was a creep— albeit and attractive creep— and creeps deserved nothing but sass from me.

He raised an eyebrow, putting his hands up in defense, "Hey now, watch it with the insults. I could arrest you, you know."

My glare narrowed. He wasn't taking me seriously at all. "And I could have you arrested for trespassing, creeper!" I shouted at him.

"Alright, alright, calm down." Officer Daniels' lips twitched as he fought back a smile.

I gritted my teeth, still glaring at him.

"Now it's my turn to talk," He spoke calmly and authoritatively, though his stance was relaxed. "I have full permission from your parents to be here whenever I need to, as long as it's to investigate the case. Which it is. My only question now, is why you are here." He gestured to the forest around us. "I will not hide the fact that I think you are a suspect. And the fact that you are now lurking in the forest strengthens my belief."

I was beginning to hate that jerk. "I'm not lurking, I'm investigating."

"Investigating what? I've swept this forest a number of times and have yet to discover anything helpful. Unless of course you know something you're not telling me." Officer Daniels raised an eyebrow, "And need I remind you that withholding evidence is against the law?"

Yet to discover anything? Was he blind? Obviously a random door in the forest for no reason would be suspicious, wouldn't it? "Um, hello, what about that?" I asked, waving my arm at the door behind me.

Officer Daniels' smile dropped and was replaced with a look of confusion. "What about what?"

I rolled my eyes. How on earth did he become and officer? He's a moron! "The suspicious white door just sitting among the trees for no reason whatsoever?" I said slowly, gesturing to the door as if I was one of those ladies on a game-show whose only purpose is to look pretty and point at stuff.

Officer Daniels' expression of confusion changed to concern. "Miss... there's nothing there."

"What?" It was I who was confused now.

"There is no door." He stressed, and with each syllable my veins grew colder.

The door... wasn't real?

"But... Maggie and I... w-we..." I began to panic, my heart thrumming so fast I thought it was going to burst from my chest. The door had to be real. It had to be! Maggie and I went through it! We saw the footprints in the mud, and we met Seraphim and Lydia! Maggie was taken through the door! Feeling deflated, I turned to look at the door. It looked just as solid and real as the day Maggie and I first found it. I reached a hand out to touch it, but then pulled back, an irrational fear of my hand passing through it like air stopped me.

"Well, on the bright side, when it comes down to the court case, you could always plead insanity." Officer Daniels said with a shrug.

I said nothing. My never ending flow of sass had dried up with the realization that I very truly might be crazy. If that where the case, where had Maggie gone? She was obviously taken, I heard her scream for help. But... if there was no door... and therefore no video game characters coming to life... who had taken her?