Year End's Gala Night, 2000 PM, 31th Dec 20##.
"Esteemed guests, ladies and gentlemen, today, I as your host/emcee of the night, welcome all of you to enjoy yet another glorious gathering after the fulfilling year we just went through." The sound of a steady and smooth voice of a man resonated through the big grand hall. The way his sparkly tuxedo shimmer when caught by the light easily hold the crowd's attention on him.
"As of tradition, we host this yearly Gala to both appreciate our achievements along with some fund raising activities for the next year to come. Thus tonight, we have invited our regular VIPs, the ones who had always supported our university through the year and each year at that. Your contributions are most appreciated. We also invited our alumni that never failed to bring glory to our university be it when they were a student or not. Thank you for the amazing things you all have contributed every year without a fail." At the end of the host's speech, the hall erupted in a cheer of applause.
"And of course, our dearest students, who always give their best for the sake of our continued glory. Another round of applause to appreciate your hard work too, please," he said and the crowd applaud again.
When all settled down, the host ended his turn with introducing the VIPs and the alumni and giving them a short time for some speeches. After that, the Gale continued with the banquet, which was filled with various cuisines and desserts from famous chefs.
Chatter filled the big enclosed space as everyone was eager to make acquaintances with one another. The ambiance of the gala was truly convivial, with guests sharing laughter and good spirits. There's a few performances being presented throughout the night while the guests mingled.
As the night reaches midnight, the atmosphere was much calmer as the guests return to their seats. Hushed words filled the grand hall and gradually died down when the hall dimmed once again. The host once again claimed his spot on the stage.
"Coming back from our long break, we're now already almost at the end of the night," the host started. The crowd quietly awaited his next lines. Each were full of anticipation. They knew they're closer to the actual main attraction of the night.
The host smiled looking at the guests. It looked almost like a normal small smile, perhaps appreciative of every achievement they've made. But a glance could easily overlooked a hint of something mischievous in the small smile. His eyes lacked the usual warmth he had earlier. His tone sounded colder... Detached. A very tiny detail that could easily be amiss.
"I present to you, our long awaited charity time...," he stepped aside from the stage. The space was momentarily blackened but once it was lit again, the stage revealed some students on it which were two females and two males students.
They were all perfectly dolled up. Each looking dashing and fresh while the females are extraordinarily beautiful and elegant. Yet their faces lacked something... Not a hint of smile could be seen in their faces. Stoic, like an overly realistic doll. One thing else they had something matching was the red laced blindfold wrapped firmly around their eyes to the back of their heads.
"Ladies and gentlemen, shall we start the bidding?" The host said with a gleeful smile.
...
Three months later...
Scarlett ran her finger across the dusty stack of files. She sigh upon finding the one she was looking for. Upon opening it, she coughed from the dust.
"What are you being all sneaky for, Lettie?" A rough voice startled her from behind. It was her partner, Ashen.
"For God's sake, quit startling me like that!" Scarlett said, annoyed. They may be partners but every day was a headache with Ashen.
"And I wasn't being sneaky. The old woman came again today... Shouting about us not doing our job properly again. I just thought I should check her case again," said Scarlett while flipping through the dusty pages.
Ashen sat down on his seat and put up both of his feet on the desk, sipping his freshly brewed coffee. "Ah you meant Mrs. Dwayne? She stopped coming for almost two months already. How come she turned up again today?"
Scarlett shrugged. "Beats me. She was acting crazier than she first filed the case. I'm thinking I should just check it again in case we missed anything last time,"
Ashen couldn't help but scoffed. "What else is there to find? It's a dead end wherever we look. It's safe to assume her daughter actually eloped anyway since her boyfriend is gone too. We had little to none clues. Even a squirrel stealing a nut would be easier to find than her daughter,"
Scarlett rolled her eyes in annoyance before continuing her revision. She had always hated Ashen's gut. That guy is insufferable! She huffed for the last time before taking the files to her desk, putting all her focus on the task at hand.
She doesn't believe a girl as successful as Mrs. Dwayne's daughter would easily elope with a guy like this and with no trace to be found.
...
0400 AM, Missing Person Unit.
Scarlett put down the file she had been staring at for hours. She had look through it a thousand times yet she couldn't figure out anything at all.
Slumping herself, she accidentally dropped her head too hard on the table, earning a loud bang followed by a terrored scream.
"Ashen? You're still here?" She asked upon seeing a silhouette suddenly appearing from beneath Ashen's table. "What the fuck was that?!" Ashen asked. His eyes almost bulged out from their sockets as he stared at Scarlett, half terrified and half angry.
"Unclench your asshole, you fool! It's just my head. I'm getting frustrated with how this case is going," Scarlett rebuked, equally annoyed and frustrated with everything. She thought she had been the only one left here so she was also startled when Ashen screamed earlier.
Ashen seemed more awake now after he heard Scarlett's voice. His butt unclenched as told unconsciously. "You're still on that? I told you it'll be useless."
"I know but we have to fucking try! Did you not see how many unsolved cases we have? Might as well dispers this unit if we're not helping with anything at all," said Scarlett, almost on the verge of tears from frustration and stress.
They were both silent after that, for awhile. But then Scarlett spoke up again with clearer voice. "Don't you feel hurt? Citizens mocked us for not being able to do anything... Our colleagues.... Other units... They... They're all getting promotions, honours and new offices. We... Only us are stuck here from the beginning! No changes! Just files that keep getting piled up. I'm tired of this all, Ashen! You're our unit's leader so do something!"
Ashen stared ahead into nothingness. He couldn't say anything. It's all true. They've been quite useless all their time here. The only services they've done were finding lost pets. Other units looked down on them. So are their uppers. Case files has also stopped going to their unit each day.
"Haven't you heard? The chief will disperse us by the end of this year if we don't solve any case soon. So it's up to you wether to steer our unit's destiny or just give up and prepare to pack up."
Ashen could only watch as Scarlett packed up her stuff and went home, leaving him alone in the dimly lit office.
He sighed one last time, scruffing his already messy hair. Just then, his phone dinged as a message entered his phone.
TBC...