Behind The Glass Eye

Chapter One

Slowly tapping the ballpoint pen on the mahogany desk, my eyes danced around the small cubicle of crimson walls that enclosed my office. I sighed as I pushed myself away from my cluttered furniture and felt the wheels of my leather chair skid across the slippery wooden floor.

A small smile slipped across my face as I felt a pang of immaturity. With a innocent giggle I started spinning my chair around while I clutched onto the armrests to prevent myself from being flung off. My black bangs flipped into my eyes as I continued to rotate faster. Feeling an almost forgotten sense of happiness wash over me, my lips parted in a soft smile.

Deep booming laughter echoed from across my office. Startled, I accidentally loosened my grip on the chair and was catapulted out of the spinning seat. I groaned as I slid across the floor gaining a fair bruise and scratch.

A male voice and footsteps greeted my ears, "Anny, are you alright? Sorry I startled you."

I lifted my cheek from the cool floor and glanced up at the culprit of my injury. I rolled my eyes as I recognized him as my co-worker and partner, Trint. His angular face was full of concern and his brown hair fell into his eyes. I glanced down at his hand that he was offering me and slowly put my small palm into his. In a quick motion he jerked me off of the ground and I stumbled into his chest.

An embarrassed smile crossed my face briefly. Feeling a hot redness sweep across my cheeks, I stepped away from Trint.

I looked away from his flawless face and said, "Yeah, I'm okay. I just got a little carried away is all. What's going on?"

He cleared his throat and mumbled, "I was coming to tell you that Mr. and Mrs. Kimin, the millionaire owners of Atlantica Fishing Company, have brought their daughter into the station with some complaint. If I understood properly, they would like to talk to you about their daughter's near assassination. The Kimins asked for you specifically...any idea why?"

My breath caught in my throat at the mention of the name Kimin. A shiver passed through my spine and tickled my high heel clad feet. I bit my lip and closed my eyes. The same image kept flashing within my head. I could feel my eyes slowly filling with tears and I quickly blinked to prevent them from slipping down my rosy cheeks.

I felt a large hand rest on my shoulder and my eyes flashed open to notice Trint's attempt at a comforting gesture. I instinctively flinched away from his touch and I saw hurt flash in his aqua blue eyes.

His voice was rough as he said, "I should go." He turned around and briskly walked out of my office.

I slowly inhaled a shaky breath and turned back to my messy desk. I rummaged through the cluttered papers that littered my work area until I found the small package of tissues. My fingers nimbly ripped open the plastic covering and I pulled out a wad of Kleenex. I carefully dabbed the soft paper to my face in attempt to make myself more presentable after my emotional breakdown.

Unsure if I was successful, I placed the tissues back on my desk and walked across my room to the door that led to my doom. With as much confidence as I could muster, I stepped out of the safety of my office.

Forcing my feet to comply and move towards the meeting room was nearly impossible. The silence that covered the usually busy office area was unnerving. All of my co-workers sat at their desks like statues, afraid breathing might shatter the brittle, glass-like tension.

My hand shook as I clutched the cold silver door knob that led to the meeting room. I inhaled a sharp breath before twisting the handle and entering the chilly room.

In the small black chairs, two adults and a small child sat in silence. The little girl was letting her dark eyes survey the room. With black walls, a long brown table, and no wall decorations, no doubt boredom plagued her.