Feeling

Chapter One

"Okay, th-" The door slammed shut before I could finish my sentence. I could hear the lock tumble as I was confined inside.

"Thanks!" I shouted at the mirror on one wall that was obviously two-way glass. Rolling my eyes, I got a quick glance around the room. It was dull and boring, muted colors and fluorescent lights that gave everything a sickly glow. A table sat in the center of the room, a chair on either side. At least everything want completely made of metal, like briefing rooms usually were. I plopped down heavily into the chair facing the mirror and sighed. This could be one hell of a wait. I absentmindedly scratched at the dark paint that covered the unsurprisingly metal tabletop. It came away with my nail pretty easily. Might as well pass the time...

"Jennifer Lawson, I presume?" asked a man's voice and I quickly jumped to cover up the half of my name that I'd managed to carve into the table. I glanced up at the speaker as he rounded the table and I frowned.

"Yeah, well, you presumed wrong. Jenny Lawson's a good girl and haven't you heard?" I have him a cursory glance up and down, leaning back in my chair as he slid into the seat across from me. "I'm a criminal."

He didn't look up from the manila folder he had open in his hands. "Ah. Would Justice Eve be more appropriate, then?"

I grinned at him. "Wow, the department's finally recognizing my nickname, huh? Only took them two years." He only half-smiled in response and continued focusing on the folder. To pass the time, I studied him. He was young, mid to late twenties by the look of him. His hair, although messily styled, seemed nicely trimmed. His eyes were light gray and framed by thick black glasses. Without glancing up from what I assumed was my record, he adjusted his black tie so it hung more loosely around the collar of his dark blue button up. I bit my lip. Damn, he wasn't bad to look at.

"So you're not any of the officers who usually deal with me," I said. Now he looked up at me.

"No, no I'm not. Theo Kent." He held out one of his hands to shake mine and I regarded it suspiciously, crossing my arms over my chest and tucking my hands into my armpits. Raising an eyebrow, he let his hand drop down to the table. "I'm a specialist. I was referred to your case a few weeks ago and Officer Franklin only relinquished your file a few days ago." He placed the folder down on the table so it was still open and visible to both of us. "Pretty impressive for someone your age, I might add."

"Gee, thanks," I said, rolling my eyes sharply and retreating even further back into my seat. "What can I say, I'm a show-off."

"Clearly," he said, before placing both his palms face up on the table. "Arms, please." Hesitantly, I stuck out my arms so he could grab onto my wrists and pull my limbs so they lay flat on the table. He inspected the skin closely for needle pricks, leftover residue from my Links, or anything else that might have an impact on my 'reconnection'. Instead, all he found was my unbroken skin, perfect save for the tantalizing patterns of my tan lines. His hands were cold as he ran them over my skin, tracing up and down the veins of my forearms and biceps in search of track marks or bruising from needles. I shivered when they passed over my elbows.

"Watch it, Theo," I chided him. "That tickles. You get a girl worked up like that, at least buy her dinner first."

He released my arms suddenly, disregarding them in favor of the file again. I stifled a groan when I saw the picture that lay right on top. Worst photograph ever, and considering how unphotogenic I was, that was saying a whole lot. At this point in time, it was nearly two years old and I looked worse than the fucking Billboard I'd met in the alley around that time. "So what was it this time, Miss Eve? Five counts of black market Surprise, two of Joy, and one of Love?"

"What can I say?" I asked, once again drawing my arms back to my body as I shrugged. "I'm a hopeless romantic behind closed doors. And please, Theo, we're past such formalities by now. You've touched my arms; call me Justice."