Chapter 3 | Bright

Simmering, shimmering sun.

Ember kept chanting those words inside her head while she sat in silence on her motorbike, waiting for someone in the restaurant’s parking lot. Their chief, Chief Wills, invited all of the police officers of Police Department 7 to take a day off. But, first, they must attend his daughter’s birthday celebration at this restaurant called “Scavenger’s Hut” in which Ember thought is a stupid order.

Their police department received a lot of homicide reports and yet, all of them are here. Penalties would be charged at her if she won’t obey her superior’s order. Stay and endure listening to his daughter’s gobbledygook, that was Chief Wills' order to Ember and to all the police officers.

“Simmering, shimmering sun,” Ember said out loud and lifted her chin, closing her eyes for the sun’s warm kiss.

“What was that?” Someone interrupted Ember’s train of thoughts causing it to crash and whistle in contempt. Ember looked at K puffing another smoke from her strawberry-flavored vape. Ember tilted her head, examining K’s attire. K was wearing a denim blue v-line jumpsuit and if Ember remembered it well, this very same jumpsuit is the one K wore at Manuel’s wedding to Brian.

“Are you wearing that same backless shit-piece that Manuel told you not to wear because he hates how sexy it is which may push Brian to say ‘I don’t’ to him?”

K looked down at her outfit and her eyes tried to reach the back of her body. K let out a chuckle and exhaled the perfect white smoke out of her nostril. “Am I now? Didn’t notice that when I scavenged on the pile of bloody stinking outfits I have.”

“Must be because of the dead bodies in your closet,” Ember joked and approached K to give her a hug. Ember buried her face onto her soft bronze hair. “I miss you, Sister.”

“Yuck,” K cringed and pushed her sister, Ember, off her. “Don’t call me that, Fathima Mae,” K teased as she knows Ember hates her full name – too girly, too feminine for her. Ember tsked and opened the seat of her motorbike. “Speaking of scavenging outfits, dead bodies, and these shadow economies in our government. Why the fuck are you here at Scavenger’s Hut? Didn’t know you could afford fancy food? Thought you were allergic.” K puffed another smoke and peeked past the black window pane, trying to watch the event happening inside.

Ember closed the seat after grabbing a brown folder and outstretched her hand to give it to her sister. “Chief’s daughter is celebrating her birthday. It’s an order, ditching the celebration would make that little girl cry and I am sure I’d be out for a suspension.”

K then accepted the folder, skimming through the papers and pictures attached to it. One picture that caught K’s attention is the vape shop along Jolly Road. “How old is she? Is she that girl wearing a big black gown?”

“Yes. She’s twenty. Daddy’s girl.” Ember squinted from afar and back to her sister’s face.

K stopped touching the folders and smirked at Ember. “She won’t be a Daddy’s girl soon.”

Ember furrowed her brows and heaved out a frustrated sigh. “Don’t play dirty at that girl. She’s a bitch.” Ember rubbed the tip of her nose and brushed her hair away from her face.

“Then she’ll be my bitch.” K laughed and turned her back from her sister. “Bye, Mae. Always bring Papa’s shotgun or Goujian’s sword, whatever, just take care.” Ember laughed, watching her sister getting into a white van and be kilometers to miles away from her once more. When can they rest? Ember would always wonder and deeply breathe in the fact they won’t get a chance to rest, not until they found the one who murdered their father and the ones who murdered the innocent citizen of Pinephil. Make the world a better place, shouldn’t we do that?

And as soon as they parted and Ember had enough of the sun’s heat, she went back inside to look for Pox. But when she spotted Pox, she immediately knew that that guy is drunk and falling head over heels for the Chief’s daughter. Ember looked for the restroom. She saw an arrow pointing to where it was but saw the kitchen door. She sniffed and smelled something good.

“The manager said something about entering the kitchen is hundred percent allowed as long as no one would walk past the counter,” Ember whispered to herself and Ember tested if it’s truly fine to get inside.

She pushed the kitchen door and a loud bang against it silenced everyone busy working and yelling inside the kitchen earlier. Ember craned her neck to see who it was that slammed its tiny brain on the door.

“Chef, are you alright?” Ember was sure that it was the manager’s voice, calling out the person who slammed himself to the door.

Then the door was completely pulled off from Ember’s hand, revealing the chef standing a little bit taller than Ember. The chef raised a brow at her and he quickly fixed his face and plastered a smile for Ember.

“How may I help you, Miss?” The chef knew that Ember is a customer so he played it nice and neat. “Would you like to get something to eat or drink? The third dish is coming right up.”

“Uh, no. Sorry,” Ember examined everyone inside and the food pleasantly wafting past Ember’s nose, making her stomach growl. She then felt the heat from the open stove and boiling pots blowing towards her. “Thought it would be cool to see the kitchen but never mind.”

The chef chuckled and looked at his manager. “It’s actually pretty exciting to see my sous chefs prepare the meals with determination and perfection.”

Ember pursed her lips and nodded as if agreeing to the chef’s statement. Ember noticed the sweat from his forehead and burnt skin on his hand. “Hmmm, fifty percent determination and another percent for perspiration.” That made the chef smirk. “Keep up the nice work, sir. It must have been hell inside there to serve the best food for your customers.” Ember was the first to turn her back and walk away from the chef.

As soon as she arrived in the restroom, her phone vibrated in her pocket. She went in in the farthest cubicle and answered the call. “Miss me that early, K?”

“I do.” K cleared her throat and Ember took it as a sign that something serious must’ve happened. “Listen, Ember, the location is not in the city but in the borders.”

“What borders? So, I was wrong?”

“You are always wrong.” Ember heard K chuckle but then her tone went back to being stern. “The location is in the desert mountains. They won’t allow the paramilitary officers to investigate. We have told them that it’s an internal conflict that may cause the murder cases to go… cold and unresolved. They simply gave us a picture of fucking peaceful landscape. No man, no secrets.”

Ember groaned, “Underground. Have they checked the ground?”

“Told you that we are not allowed to touch the property of our sleeping government.”

The door of the restroom suddenly opened and Ember muted the call as she listens to the person in silence.

“Po-po-poker face, HAHAH! Oh-oh-oh!” The guy suddenly sang ‘Bad Romance’ by Lady Gaga and turned on the faucet. He cupped a handful of water and sprinkle it all over his body like he’s the God of rain. Ember pinched the bridge of her nose and kicked the door open.

“Pox!” Ember called in a low, threatening voice. “You are…” Ember slapped his face every after the words she spits, “… in the women’s restroom.”

Pox stumbled to the floor and laughed. “Ember!” he shouted and pouted. “I am broken and broke, Ember. Tell me, is this…” Pox flexed his arms and caressed his face, “… handsome policeman not enough to please a woman?” Ember closed her eyes and swallowed her patience. Pox suddenly sobbed. “I love her, Ember. Help me!”

Ember grabbed Pox by his collar and helped him to stand up. “Tell Chief Wills that I’ll head out first. Tell him that I got a fucking diarrhea that may last for a year from listening to your bullshits.” Ember was about to walk out of the door but decided to gave Pox a hard slap that echoed throughout the restroom. “Wake up, buddy.”

Then Ember sneaked out of the restaurant and saw that K ended the call earlier but left a message.

'That was Poselle? Little Poselle who loves to play Black Ops with you?' K texted.

'Yes, don’t mind him. Send me more details about the desert mountains and whatever you got. I am leaving the party.'

Then another message was sent from someone Ember dearly loves but sometimes loathe due to her stubborn attitude.

'When are you coming home?' Ember’s mother texted but she marked it unread and read K’s instant reply.

'You should wait, I can’t give you anything other than the fact that it is somewhere far from the city and someone in position is protecting it.'