A sharp annoying screech came from the door as it opened. Officer Payton made his way into his dusty old apartment room. His eyes were trained on his phone as he walked, which meant he held little attention to the outside world. His hand reached out and flickered on the switch for the light as he walked into the living room.

That was why when a foreign voice called out to him, it was enough to startle the officer and send his hand reaching toward his sidearm.

“Good evening, officer.”

Now with his sidearm drawn from his holster, the officer snapped around and took aim at the intruder. When he first heard the voice, the officer’s mind immediately raced to all the parties that might want to have a private chat with him. The local gangs. Potential assassins. Yes, these were unlikely possibilities, especially considering he was just another low-level cop in the city, but what was even more unlikely than those possibilities?

A random teenage girl.

A young woman who was at most 15 or 16 was sitting on the only sofa he had in his room. She leaned her arms on her knees and crossed her fingers as her eyes stared into the officer’s. Despite being pointed at by a police Glock, the woman radiated a strange sense of confidence and dominance.

“Identify yourself…” It took the officer a few moments to realize he knew exactly who the girl was. Wasn’t this the paranoid kid who came to him at lunch today and demanded that he investigate some boys in the school that were selling narcotics? He never really got her name during that meaningless conversation.

When it became clear that he wasn’t going to be jumped by mafia gunmen or criminals he helped put away, the officer snickered in annoyance and returned his weapon into its holster. After all, this girl was no threat to him. As that was done, Payton looked to Cassie once again. He spoke to her as if she was no more than an ignorant child.

“You do know that breaking and entering is a crime, right? I can have you arrested right now.” He paused before realizing this wasn’t as simple as it seemed. “How did you even get in here? Wait...how did you even know I live here? What the hell is going on?” His voice lifted as confusion struck him.

Cassie’s answer was simple.

“You told me.”

“That’s impossible!” Payton scoffed. Come on...if you want to tell lies, at least tell believable lies! I have seen middle-schoolers who are better at lying than you are!

Cassie didn't bother arguing with him. Instead, her eyes shined, and at that moment, Payton felt his lost memories flying back to him. Cassie asked for his address, and he, a veteran police officer, just told her exactly where he lived in detail! Even more unbelievable was that he proceeded to forget all about that! Until now...

When officer Payton looked up at Cassie again, he was no longer snickering. It was at this moment that he hoped he was facing several mafia gunmen. His hand went for his sidearm once again. That was when Cassie’s eyes flashed again, and the officer felt his arm freeze. An invisible wall exerted itself between his hand and his trusty Glock.

“What...what is this witchcraft?” The officer gulped in disbelief. He did his best to move his hand down, but none of that worked. He took a step forward at Cassie, but stopped himself when he found himself staring at Cassie’s cold silver pupils.

“What...what do you want?” The officer bit his lips. Who was this girl, what was this girl, and mostly importantly, why was she after him? What did he even do to deserve this?

“I am not after you...yet.” As if she could read his thoughts, which she could, Cassie raised her voice and answered the officer’s inner questions. “I am merely here to talk, and I hope you can answer me honestly. Your answers will conclude what will happen to you.”

Officer Payton stood there for a few moments. He had to admit he didn't like the feeling of being threatened, but experience told him he had to swallow his anger and play along. Whatever this girl was, she was too much for him to handle by brute force. His authority worked on petty criminals and adolescent offenders, but not someone who apparently had...superpowers?

With that idea in mind, officer Payton nodded slowly. He pulled over an old screechy chair from the side of the room and sat down in front of Cassie.

“What do you want to know?” He asked, somewhat defeated.

“When I came to you earlier today with the accusations, you dismissed me. Why? I certainly had the evidence that warrants my accusations to be taken seriously.”

“Well...I was just having a long day, and I really didn't think much about it. It was an honest mistake...I promise! Of course, now that I know you’re probably not some kid on a dare or pulling a prank, I can assure you that I will look into it!”

The officer stared into Cassie’s eyes, hoping that his words were enough to get this menace to leave him alone. He was quickly disappointed.

“Very well, officer. However, I would like you to answer the question again.” Cassie leaned forward, her tone as cold as ice. “This time, I want you to tell me the truth.”

She definitely didn't appreciate the deceptions. That was all the officer gave her. Lies and deceptions.

“The truth…” Officer Payton froze in his tracks as Cassie’s psychic power reached his mind. His logic screamed at him to stick to his narrative, but his brain and body alike decided otherwise. He was more difficult to convince than Mr. Douglas and Ms. West, but that didn't stop him from cracking. “Yes, I will tell the truth.”

He looked up at Cassie before singing like a canary. Figuratively of course.

“I knew your accusations were accurate. In fact, I have known about Antonio for a while now. He has been selling all sorts of narcotics to students in Pather High School for at least a year.”

“A year, and you didn't do anything?” The anger in Cassie’s voice was clear. Really? How many students have Antonio and his gang dealt with in that year? How many students have become addicts...all the while, the officer tasked with protecting them sat back and did nothing! He had one job, and he failed. Not only so, he consciously made the decision to fail!

Before coming here, Cassie had some hopes for the officer. Perhaps he was just tired when she talked to him. Perhaps he had indeed had a long day. That didn't change what happened, but it would make the officer more incompetent than outright corrupt. That didn't appear to be true here.

“I did nothing.” Officer Payton admitted quietly.

“Explain yourself.”

The officer drew in a deep breath. A part of his mind screamed for him to shut up right now, but his mouth kept on talking.

“Have you heard of the Reese Cartel?”

“No.”

“Well, the Reese Cartel is a drug cartel that operates in the southern part of Chicago. They work with Mexican drug cartels, who smuggle a significant level of illegal narcotics across the border and transport them to Chicago for sale. There are a few other cartels and crime syndicates in that area, but the Reese Cartel is the biggest player in the field of drug trafficking and dealing. They’re brutal and efficient, and they have both the money and the knowledge of who to spend that money on.”

“The kid, Antonio, and his gang are the underlings to the Reese Cartel. They are merely foot soldiers. They get the merchandise from the Cartel, sell them to the kids in Pather High, and hand the Cartel most of their profit while getting a tiny cut for their own.”

“They are selling drugs. That is not merchandise.” Cassie cut the officer off coldly. She could barely contain the fury in her voice, but she motioned for Payton to continue.

“I didn't want to look into Antonio or arrest his people for the simple reason that I don’t want to face retaliation. The Reese Cartel is known to have tortured and murdered police officers, along with other competitors and generally speaking people who got in between them and profit. I still want to live. That’s it. I’m not paid by the Cartel to turn a blind eye or anything.”

Great. So he was not corrupt. He was just a coward. Cassie felt herself snickering at the officer’s words. For a guy his size, he was awfully pathetic.

“Yes...by all means, keep yourself safe and screw all the students under your charge. They can waste their lives on drugs as far as you care, right? You are a disgrace to your badge.” Cassie mocked the man.

Surprisingly, that got more reaction from officer Payton than she expected.

“What do you know, kid!” The large man stood up from his seat and protested. “Have you seen the work of the Reese Cartel? Those people are crazy! I have seen them behead their competitors and send the decapitated heads to the other cartels to make a point! They have killed at least three officers, maybe more, and I don’t want to go to work one day and end up in a casket! Or worse! I still have a family. I have parents! What if the cartel goes after them?”

He drew in a deep breath.

“Plus, there are other people after the Reese Cartel. The FBI. The DEA. I believe there’s a task force in the CPD dedicated to taking down those fuckers. They are just none of my damn business!”

Cassie stared at him silently, but the officer wasn’t finished.

“Look, if there is some maniac charging into the school with automatic rifles and starts shooting, fine, I will handle them, and if I do, I go down a hero. But the drugs...” He shook his head. “I know for sure that Antonio and his crew are not forcing anyone to buy their products. They are only selling to those who want to buy, and if some spoiled brats want to waste their money and lives like this...it’s their choice. If I try to stop them, maybe the kids will actually hate me more than the dealers!”

“Risk my life to save some brats who have been sheltered their entire lives by their parents? Brats who will only hate me for not minding my own business? Nope. That’s just stupid. That's a stupid cause to risk me life for.”

As the officer finished, Cassie sat there, as silent as a stone. The officer had to be telling the truth, and he was making some damn good points. She still remembered how Bree and the other girls reacted when she shut down the dealers. They were furious, and not toward Antonio. They were angry at Cassie for ruining their fun. Because that was all the drugs were to them. Fun.

Was it truly worth it to die for people who would spit on your sacrifice? Even if Antonio was gone, the potential addicts would still find new ways to get the high they wanted.

It took Cassie a while to make up her mind on what to do next.

“I get where you are coming from. I really do. There are some people who don’t deserve the sacrifices made to protect them.” She stated to the officer. “At the same time, the law is the law, and you are an officer tasked with enforcing the law. That is your job, and nothing you said changes that. You have failed your obligations.”

If there was anyone Cassie hated as much as those who broke the law, it was the supposed defenders of the law who failed at their duty. After all, this was what she was taught growing up from her dad. For society to prosper and for the people to live in peace, its rules and order must be enforced, and that could not be done by people who were selfish, self-preserving, or outright incompetent. The best thing these people could do...was to leave.

Before the officer could say anything else, Cassie raised her hand and waved it in front of him. Her eyes lit up like a silver lantern.

“You will resign from your post tomorrow. You are no longer fit for your duty.”

Officer Payton struggled, and after that failed, Cassie’s order was engraved into his mind. Just before wiping his memories about what happened, Cassie issued another order.

“Now, tell me more about this Reese Cartel...and where I can find them.”

This trip was going to be a lot longer than Cassie expected...