“…no.”

The bright light of the interrogation room shines down on the three. Cantis is seated at one end, elbows on the table, grinning from ear to ear. To his right is Luke, arms crossed and leaning back on his chair, seething. Across him, reflecting Luke’s exact pose and returning his scowl with the same intensity he was projecting, sat the female criminal they had apprehended earlier.  It was like looking at both sides of a mirror down the middle.

“Sergeant, I’m gonna say it again; I do not want to talk to her.” Luke throws another angry look at the criminal’s direction. Sergeant Cantis, still smiling, says, “Now, now, Luke. Let’s not spoil this wonderful reunion. It’s been so long. I’m sure you’ve missed her, even if just a little.” “Yeah, Luke. Why don’t you just listen to Grandpa like the perfect little boy you are,” spat the criminal. “Oh sure, Lucy, let’s bring Grandpa into this like always,” says Luke, eyes rolling. “I was more than happy when you disappeared years ago. Should’ve just stayed missing,” he spat, fuming. He was now leaning on the table, just as his sister was leaning on it too.

“You think I wanted to be found by you?” she retorted. “Well, if you didn’t fall into crime this would’ve never happened,” came her brother’s reply, both pointing an accusatory finger at one another. “And if you’d never joined the force, I wouldn’t have either.” “Oh sure, blame it on me, when you’re the one who up and left!” “And whose fault is that?!” “YOU NEVER LEARN TO SHUT UP, DO YOU??” “LIKE YOU WOULD KNOW ANY BETTER!”

Despite the bickering between the two, the sergeant remains calmly seated by the side, watching over the two as if he was reminiscing over fond memories. He smiles and finally speaks up, “Now, now, I think the both of you need to calm down for a bit.” In complete unison, the two turn to face him, their voices overlapping, “CALM DOWN? S/he’s the one who- ME?? NO, YO-”

BAM!

In the viewing room behind the one-way mirror, Captain Lycruz and Mr. Sharp watch with scrutiny as the two are reeling back, both clutching their foreheads after Cantis had slammed them onto the table. Their reactions were perfectly in sync, down to their facial expressions and little whimpers they let out. Sergeant Cantis continues talking to the twins, the two silently listening whilst holding their now bright red foreheads. The captain looks down at the folder he’s holding, perusing details on Lucy’s profile. He skims through it as they continue to observe the exchange happening beyond the window. Breaking the silence, Mr. Sharp asks, “Thoughts, sir?” Hidden in the dim light of the room, a tiny smile creeps across the captain’s face.  “Perfect.”

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

“Man, you should’ve been there, Nyx! Morgan was drifting like ‘screeeee’ and then he shot something like ‘blam’.” The bubbly girl mimics driving a car and swerving, then pretends to shoot a gun with one hand. “And then Mr. Sharp got out and was like ‘Yo’ and then he just fired. Oh man, it was sooo cool. And then when he fired. Like.” Inyun gets into a pose with both arms up as if she’s holding a rifle. She steels her face and squints her eyes, then pretends to pull a trigger, shouting, “BLAM!” overexaggerating the recoil. “Smack on the wall!” she says as she claps her hands together. Nyx was listening intently, nodding along as the teen replayed the highlights of the arrest, her jet-black hair bouncing with every giddy little jump she made. “Dude. It was like watching a movie.” Inyun finally calms down and inhales deeply. Blowing the air out slowly through her lips with her cheeks puffed up, she plops herself down by Nyx’s desk, a seat meant for visitors to provide statements.

Nyx leans back on his chair, impressed at the extravagant performance he’d just been presented, giving a slow clap as the young girl takes a short bow from her seat. “A movie, huh? Sounds like it was a real hit with our perps,” says Nyx, grinning. Something occurs to him just then. “Hang on… You said you were just about to come in here when Morgan burst out the door. There’s no way you could’ve made it to the shooting in time.” The girl, looking smug, shakes a finger from side to side and tuts. “Please,” she starts. “This city is filled with cuts long and short if you know your way. And I know Ferros’ alleys like the back of my foot,” she asserts, chest brimming with pride. Nyx chuckles through his nostrils, furrowing his brow. “Uh, I don’t think that’s how the saying goes.” “Uh, I’m pretty sure it does,” came her matter-of-fact reply.

“Oh, Morgan!” exclaims Inyun suddenly. He’d just passed by, on his way to his desk after getting back from the crime scene. “Dude, dude, dude,” she chirps, bounding towards him. Inyun leans in close, her slim eyes darting from side to side as if to make sure no one was listening in. Nyx was already behind her, leaning in as well. She puts a hand to her mouth and asks, not so quietly, “I kinda saw the perp Mr. Sharp brought in. Is it who I think it is?” Her brows raise questioningly. “Now who do you think it is?” countered Morgan, folding his arms. “Well from afar it kinda looked like…” She takes a look around again, then in a hushed voice, “…Luke’s brother?” she tries, but then quickly adds, “Maybe.” Nyx is surprised. It wasn’t uncommon for officers to have siblings in crime, but pretty much everyone in the precinct knew that Luke’s twin had gone missing when he was a fresh recruit. Morgan smiles, leans down, and whispers, “Sister.”

Both Inyun and Nyx’s jaws drop as they turn to one another and gasp in high pitched whispers, “Fraternal twins!” Morgan puts a finger to his lips, “Don’t say I told you,” and gives a little wink as he turns around and heads to his desk, leaving the two to squeal among themselves.

Finally settling down on his seat, he runs his hands through his dark locks and then lightly massages his tired eyes, taking in a deep breath. It was one thing after the other; last night’s arrest, the captain’s reprimand, this morning’s break-in. Just as he’s savouring the brief moment of respite, a familiar voice calls out from behind him, “Well helloooooo there, sunshine. You’ve certainly been the talk of the town recently.” Like a machine gun, her words burst forth rapidly before Morgan even fully turns around. “Looking pretty exhausted there, though, deary. Or as Nyx would probably put it, ‘beat up’, based on what I heard you lot did to those thugs you brought in haha how are they by the way? Omg is it a lot more serious than it looks? I know Cantis can get a bit rough, despite his intentions but stil-”

“Emily. Breathe,” cuts in Morgan. Emily takes a long deep breath and holds it for a moment before letting it all out completely. “Right. Yeah. Thanks.” She takes another deep breath, “Aaaaanyway, I know Inyun came in earlier, and I’d go to Nyx first, but you know, if he knows that I know then Inyun would know, too, and they wouldn’t want Wü to know, so she’s probably already hiding, y’know? You wouldn’t happen to know where, though, would you?” Morgan shakes his head. “Not a clue,” he says, managing a tired smile. “Last I checked, I left the two of them giggling to themselves back at Nyx’s desk.” He gestures behind him.

“Oh, dear me. She’s long gone now,” says Emily, pouting as she looks towards Nyx’s empty seat across the room. “Well, it’s not exactly our job to babysit, Em,” replies Morgan, turning back to his desk as Emily comes around to sit on it. “Oh, I know. But Wü really is worried for her,” she sighs. A very animated young lady, her body reflected the emotions on her expressive face, slouching forward somewhat dispirited. But she quickly picks herself back up. “I can understand though. If I had a cute little cousin like that, I’d be worried sick myself,” she comments merrily. “But Inyun can’t keep skipping classes. She might not be able to graduate high school at this rate!”

“You should tell that to her partner in crime,” suggests Morgan, stretching his back and arms, wincing slightly as he feels some aches left over from the previous night. “Speaking of which, they might be at the cafeteria right about this time,” he says, eyeing the clock across the room. “You could check there.” Emily perks up with glee, “Oooh you’re right! Thanks, dear.”

She turns to leave, but suddenly stops on her tracks, “OH!”, and spins right back around. “I forgot why I’d come here in the first place. Silly me.” She smacks her forehead as if it would improve her memory. “There was a call for Mr. Sharp while you lot were out catching them baddies. The Curie called and wants you to get back to them as soon as possible. Don’t be late now,” says Emily with a wink, even bringing up the freckles on her cheek. “The Curie?” questions Morgan. “I don’t think we scheduled an appointment or anything. Did something happen?” He wonders what it could be. Things seemed to be kicking into high gear lately.

“Oh, I wouldn’t know, dear. Mr. Sharp would probably know best. It might be about one of the cases he was working on before you joined, but I can’t say for sure,” she says, equally unsure about the situation. “Anywho, I’d best be off. Wouldn’t want to keep you all day.” She twirls around again, tweeting, “Oh, Wü darling~” and heads back to her table, ready to report her findings to her partner who, until her name was called out, had her face slumped on her desk.

With her chin resting on her scarf atop her desk, Wü’s droopy eyes barely open as they try to peek through the curtains of her dark, unkempt bangs. Just a few seconds after her attempt, her head falls to the side, rolling on to her cheek, nestling into her soft scarf. Wü’s eyes finally give in as she drifts off again, quietly breathing in peace despite the impending bundle of energy bouncing straight for her.

Morgan watches as the bubbly redhead skips off, her thick wavy hair flowing in her wake. He wonders just how she manages to maintain such a cheerful attitude all the time. Shaking off the thought, Morgan returns his attention to the pile of paperwork left on his desk. But his mind begins to wander, his eyes staring vacantly into the distance. The Curie? What sort of case was Mr. Sharp working on? Maybe I can find something in there. Picking up his pen and straightening his back, he clears his head and tries to concentrate on the documents in front of him. There is still much to do before the day is done.