Head in the Clouds

Chapter 2: Why Are You Running?

"What do you mean you won't help?"

Deidre stood before the officer boiling- no fuming at him. The room seemed to just be a bunch of cubicles packed into as little of space as possible. Deidre stood leaning over the table, which was crowded with useless papers and junk and stared down the officer with a certain disdain sure to make anyone uncomfortable.

"I'm sorry, but there is nothing we can do for you at this time," explained the officer. Deidre felt that he seemed old, old enough to no longer care about his job or anyone he's meant to help.

"But I was just here two days ago and you all said you'd help," she argued, her voice competing with all others in the busy room.

"I know," replied the officer, "We understand that you are a... companion of the prince, but we cannot waste time and resources looking for a lost horse. Fortunately, we can get you a brand new horse. It can be any color you want."

"I don't want any stupid horse," she seethed, "I want Nadja."

Up to that point, Deidre had been relatively patient with the department. She waited in line to speak to officer Hadley for a half-hour, sat down and explained who she was again, then waited for him to finish his food without so much as a complaint, but she had enough. She tried to swallow the rage building up inside of her as the man treated her like a little girl who had just lost her doll.

"You mean to tell me I waited two days to hear that you and your colleagues are completely and utterly incompetent?" Deidre had to speak through her teeth to avoid screaming at that point.

"Listen, Sweetheart," the man leaned in condescendingly, "We get it. You're on a trip with the prince of Jericho and you're embarrassed you lost his horse. It's alright, but you need to understand we have serious business to attend to."

She lost it. Before she could think, her hand was latched onto the man's oversized shirt and he was pulled so close to her face, she could smell the fried pig he had been eating earlier. The man gulped as he tried to pull away, but Deidre had an iron-clad grip on him.

"Listen to me," she instructed in a voice so low only the two of them could hear, "I don't care if you have to get your lazy ass up and find her yourself, I expect that my horse will be found before we leave the city. When you do find her, you will bring her to me and you will apologize for being such an ass. If you don't find her... well, lets not even talk about what happens if you don't find her. Because if I promise you one thing, its that I can and will make whatever it is as painful and terrifying as possible."

Officer Hadley stared at Deidre quivering a bit. There was something manic about the look in those dark eyes, that he couldn't quite understand. It was also the first time he noticed the size of her arms seeing as he had been staring at her figure the whole time instead. He looked over his shoulder hoping that none of his buddies would catch him being handled by a girl.

"I'll send out three... five officers today," he answered shakily.

"Thank you," she replied a bit calmer, but she didn't feel any better about it.

"Can you let go of my shirt now?" He asked with a nervous laugh.

She let him go and walked out of the cubicle unsatisfied with the interaction. It wasn't like the officers looked for Nadja and couldn't find her, they simply didn't think she was worthy of being found. Why did she have to threaten a grown man for him to do his damn job?

Exiting the building, she spotted Clyde leaned up against a house with a small crowd around him. While there were mostly beautiful girls their age surrounding him, his eyes immediately found Deidre when she exited. As though none of those girls existed, he walked away and met his best friend halfway across the street.