Glass Half Empty

Chapter 1.3

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Lieutenant Hayes' outstretched hand was oddly enticing. He was looking down at her with his dark eyes full of expectancy and maybe even a dash of admiration. It was odd staring up at him like that. The man that had knocked her unconscious and kidnapped her just hours ago was now welcoming her as if she were some kind of long-lost family member.

This wasn't some random man off the street. Not some crime lord or mobster. This was a government official that was in charge of an underground bunker in the middle of Manhattan. It was absurd in every way possible, but the idea made Marlow feel a little more at ease with the situation. If he was part of the government then she couldn't be held here against her will. She had rights and she knew there were laws in place that these people had to abide by.

So as she gazed up at the tall Lieutenant Hayes with his hand stretched out towards her, his brunette hair slicked back and his eyes void of anything threatening, she felt her own hand drifting up to reach out as well. It was a very hesitant movement, but it was still there. And yet, when she was about to shake his hand she supposed she must have been too slow. He withdrew calmly, turning his back once again and stepping over towards the sofas instead.

As he let himself relax onto the black leather, stretching his arms out over the backrest, she found herself drifting over towards the seating area too. With halting movements and skeptical glances at Hayes, she finally let herself sit on the edge of the sofa across from him, leaning forward as to not miss anything he said or did.

"This is insane. This can't really be true, can it?", she eventually croaked out, her thoughts rushing a mile a minute.

"I can assure you, it is", he replied matter-of-factly.

His lack of remorse was what made her heart pound in alarm again, "B-but you realize I have to return to my family, right? I have to go back to school on Monday. Why did you bring me here?"

"I already told you. You're going to join our task force", he started tapping his fingers against the sofa's backrest.

"What are you talking about?", the whole concept was bewildering for her to wrap her head around, making her stumble over her own words, "What task force? I'm a student in high school. I work at a cafe. I'm just a kid. Things you probably know along with how you found out my name."

He cocked his head attentively, but she couldn't tell what he was thinking, "Yes, I do know quite a few things about you. Most things I would say. Our files are always very detailed. Which is also why I know that taking you away from your mundane life won't be much of a loss for you."

Her stomach immediately dropped, "What?"

"Both of your parents died when you were eleven years old, leaving you to live with your aunt and uncle you despise. You spend your time at school or at work to stay out of the house and it's clear that you enjoy neither", he assessed firmly, "It's not like I have to remind you, Marlow."

"But how do you-", she cut herself off as to not confirm his assumptions, but it was useless.

"How do I know that?", he almost grinned, "It's not difficult to figure out from the information I received on you. What kind of teenager runs around Manhattan pickpocketing strangers after long hours of work? A happy one that has a loving family to go home to? I don't think so. It seems a lot like someone who's desperately trying to rake together enough money to get the hell out of the house as soon as they come of age."

Her jaw had dropped somewhere along when he was talking and she had to deliberately close it and gulp down the uneasy feeling in her throat.

"Listen, you come into my unit and I promise you'll make enough cash to last you three lifetimes in paradise", he laid it out like he was doing business, "You'll even get your high school diploma without having to set foot in school ever again. Working here, you'll learn so much more than you can ever imagine."