South of SomeWhere (-Editing-)

|Down the Rabbit Hole|

In another moment down went Alice after it [the rabbit], never once considering how in the world she was to get out again. - Lewis Carroll

She drills me with questions so hard and fast that when I leave the room I'm practically dizzy. Her inquisition sweeps by me, but I catch the important things punctuated by brief snorts.

Who is this man? A friend.

Do you know him? Yes. Of course.

Are you romantically involved? *I laugh* Is that question so you know if I'm single officer? *She scowls darkly*

When we reach the end, she holds out one emaciated hand. "Amulet." is all she says. I don't move expect to push my head forward.

"Take it." I say.

It's when she reaches forward, when she puts her thieving hands on what is mine, that I know the necklace is an unmovable part of me. It's imbedded itself under my skin like a parasite, and so, with a lunging grab at her collar, I snarl and drag her, choking for air, across the table. "Don't...don't ever touch what is mine! You understand that copper?" She gasps for air and Avexx leans forward, balancing like a bird in flight as if to go to her rescue but unable. "Understand!?" I ask again, my lip curling venomously. She shakes her head rapidly, and I let go. Slumping back into her seat she stares at me with a mixture of frightened and angry eyes.

"Rookie!" she then screams shrilly. "Get in here!!" The door swings open to reveal a gangly girl with mile long legs and a ponytail of bleached-blonde hair.

"Yes Sir?"

"Take the prisoner to her cell." the lady instructs with a brief snort.

The girl nods, and I rise with all the grace I can muster. "Pleasure doing business with you copper," I say in parting. With a flick of my hand, Avexx joins me, and we follow the girl. As we round the few corners and trot down the hallways, my mind starts working. My hands start shaking. Any bravado I had in the interrogation room is gone. We turn the last corner and walk into the office room. Then, I see my salvation.

"I'm cold." The rookie looks at me contemptuously. There is a momentary pause as her mind digests my words. "Can I get my jacket?" It's a rumpled ball on an officers desk. Way to big a bump to be just the fabric, my purse has to be under it. My tone is bordering on being rude, so I lower it at the end. It almost comes out pleading. I mentally high-five myself.

She sighs reluctantly and pulls at the hem of her blazer. "Fine."

As we pass my hoodie, I scurry by and snatch it up trying to shield what I'm really doing with my torso. I clutch the lumpy sweatshirt, and walk into my cell. The door swings around, metal clanking and creeping like a rusty dragon. "Try not to annoy me every three minutes will yah?" It bangs shut. Her voice is a tad snobbish.

"Mums the word," I say, grasping my things toward me, hardly daring to breathe. I give my best artificial smile.

'She is going to see, going to...'

"Fine." With that last word, she leaves, her bleached blonde ponytail swinging.

I let out my held breath. With her departure, my minds starts a whirlwind of thought.

'How many minutes do I have until they notice my things are gone? Five or less? It can't be above ten.'

All the while, my body is moving at lightening speed, my hands shaky from adrenaline and nerves. First, I need something to open the door. Second, I need my phone. Scrambling in the bottom of my bag, I latch onto a..a bobby pin. My mind goes off in a little eddy of where I used this said bobby pin, but I throw my mental lasso and rein my unwieldy thoughts back in.