Page 2 of Crossing Between

“Right.” Bradley winced as he looked at the open door.

“He grows on you?” He cleared his throat and straightened his shirt as he stood.

“If you’ll fill out the paperwork and turn it in tomorrow, that would be great.

Your shift starts at nine. Please come to this building first. We’ll go over your orientation before going over to your office, which will be next to Varon's.” The large man shook my hand vigorously.

“We’re so happy to have you. Sheryl will escort you out.

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask her.

” With that, he left the room, the floor vibrating slightly as the large man practically ran out the door. “Varon! Wait up!”

My eyes met those of Sheryl’s, making me freeze ever so slightly. There was a flash of something close to disdain that I couldn’t mistake before it disappeared. She gestured to me with her left hand.

“Follow me, please.” Her heels, which were several inches taller than mine, made a clipping noise on the tile floor that echoed in the empty hallway. Her skirt fell to just below her knees, barely moving as she walked forward. “What questions do you have? Speak quickly before we get to the exit.”

She was being hostile.

“Why do you already hate me?” That wasn’t exactly what I wanted to ask, but it came out because my filter was clogged up from all the butt-kissing I’d been doing lately to stay just ahead of the creditors and their muscle goons.

Sheryl paused midstep and looked over at me with a blank face.

“You seem overly eager to work here. Most Mediums we hire are wary of working for the government because of how hard they have to work and the strict oversight they must endure.

We've even had a Medium who tried to kill one of the detectives.

That tends to make it hard for our people to trust those who work with the dead. "

I huffed, reminding myself that I needed this job. “I won't lie. It sounds like it is going to be hard, but I'm willing to put in my time to earn that trust. I'm not afraid to get my hands dirty."

Sheryl stared at me in silence for several long moments before a smile spread across her face, shocking me. It was like a whole other person emerged with just a smile.

“That was the right answer.” She continued to move down the hall, waving her hand for me to keep up.

“I’ve been by Deputy Chief Bradley’s side for close to two decades now.

He’s a good man who worked hard to earn his position.

So has Captain Varon. It isn't common for a supernatural to get high in the ranks around here.” The air around her felt lighter now that she was smiling.

To say I was confused by her sudden change of personality was an understatement.

“So, this was what, a test?” We stopped at the desk where the Fae gave me directions earlier was reading a newspaper, ignoring us with a little drool coming out of the corner of her mouth.

Sheryl nodded once. “Yes. If you’re going to be working for the chiefs and our divisions, I wanted to make sure you wouldn’t be biased like a lot of humans.

You aren’t, so we’re good.” She handed me a card with a number on it and another pamphlet.

“This is my personal cell phone. If you run into any issues that you can’t handle, call me.

Fill out your paperwork. The map I gave you?

Try to have it memorized by the end of the week.

That will help you with finding the right areas to be in this building.

It's bigger than it looks on the outside.” She walked me to the door. “Oh, do you have a car?”

I shook my head. “No, I use public transport.”

Sheryl gave a large sigh. “Alright. That’s fine. I’ll arrange for an officer to take you where you need to go during the day unless the detectives choose to drive you. You’ll have to get home on your own. That sound good?” She started typing something on her phone.

“Are you sure?” I clutched the folder and papers they’d given to me to my chest. “I can get here in the mornings, and as long as it's not too far away, I can always walk.” Why was I looking a gift horse in the mouth?

My brother would have laughed in my face.

He never said no to freebies, even if there was a hook at the end of the offer.

Sheryl just stared at me for a few seconds. “No.”

“Just....no? I guess that's that.”

She gave me a wicked grin. “You're learning quickly.”

I felt a laugh bubble up. She really had me going before.

She wasn’t a bad person at all. Maybe we could eventually be friends.

Sheryl seemed to be someone I’d like to hang out with.

The thought of making a potential friend with a coworker, in a job that paid a living wage, made excitement flare within my stomach.

“Alright, we will see you tomorrow morning, Miss Halinger.” Sheryl glanced down at her phone when it gave a quiet buzz. “If you’ll excuse me, duty calls. Have a good rest of your day.” She turned abruptly, typing quickly on her phone as she made her way back into the office without another word.

The sounds of the city were loud as I exited the police department.

The street was busy with pedestrians and cars all going about their business.

The main clock tower down the street at City Hall rang like a bell as I looked up into the sky, my eyes closed as I enjoyed the sunlight that caressed my cheeks.

My heartbeat, which had been pounding during the interview, was slowing down to normal as I took in deep breaths.

The stress that I had been carrying around like a chained boulder seemed to lift a little, letting hope, which had been buried for a long time, rise with it.

I had a job. A good paying job with benefits.

It would still take several months to pay off my brothers debts, but at least I could do it now.

Tonight called for a celebration! I started to skip down the stairs, not paying attention to what was in front of me as I began the walk to the bus stop.

Except my foot slid on the last step, breaking me out of my daze.

My arms flailed around, the paperwork flying out of the folder as I hit the cement face first. A sharp pain raced through my cheeks and nose.

“Ow.” A moan slipped through my lips as I pushed myself up slowly. Blood dripped from my nose onto the ground as my eyes came into focus. “Well, at least I waited until after I got my job to faceplant.” The world spun a little and I sat on my ass for a second to orient myself.

“Are you alright?”

I froze at the deep voice and looked up. And up. A handsome oni stood before me.

“Miss?” The tone was gruff but still filled with concern. “Did you hit your head?” A large hand with sharp claws appeared in front of my face.

“Uh. Y...yeah. I mean, I’m okay.” I placed my hand in his and gave a soft yelp when I was pulled up like I weighed nothing.

“Thank you. I’m a klutz.” Swallowing, I touched my nose, feeling the blood still falling, and winced.

That’s when I remembered my paperwork and started scrambling to pick up the loose pages before the wind could come to blow them away. “Shit!”

The oni crouched next to me, grabbed up the half of the papers I hadn’t managed to get to and handed them to me silently. I could feel myself blushing as I met his gaze.

It was silly. I was still bleeding, probably looking a mess, and I had just realized the heel of my shoe had broken, but it felt like time stood still for several seconds as I finally got a good look at the man who’d stopped to help me.

He was tall, even in his humanoid form I had to look up at him.

His skin was a deep maroon that seemed to absorb the sunlight around him.

His hair was short, clipped close to his head and a startling white.

He had sharp black horns that curved slightly backward.

Yet it was his almond-shaped eyes that caused me to suck in a breath.

They were the color of a clear blue sky in the middle of the day.

I had an idea that if I stared into them long enough I would fly.

“Miss?” His lips curved into a smile, flashing a hint of fang. “You okay there?”

That brought me back to the present and out of the daze. My shoulders jerked as I looked at the papers in my arms before shoving them into my book bag. “Yep! I’m good. Thanks for your help again!”

“Yo! Kenji, the captain is waiting for us. Why are you just standing around?” Another male voice practically yelled from behind the oni, making him turn slightly to address who had spoken to him.

“Haruto, do you have to be so loud?”

Haruto, the one who had appeared, flapped large beautiful blue onyx wings on his back. He was a head shorter than the oni, who had to be Kenji. Another yokai, which surprised me. Most yokai stayed in Japan, but some traveled if they were powerful enough.

I couldn’t help but stare at Haruto’s wings. They reflected the sunlight, the feathers ruffling slightly against the wind that blew gently around us. His wings were the same color as his long hair that was up in a high ponytail.

“I’m just normal. You’re the one who thinks I’m loud.

” He tossed his hair over his shoulder before he glanced at me.

“Oh? Did you make a friend? She’s bleeding, please tell me you didn’t hit a civilian!

” His wings snapped out in agitation as he stepped around the oni and gripped my chin in his hand, turning my face up as he looked down in concern.

“That’s going to cause some bruising. We should take her to see Elias, he should still be at the clinic.

” He still had my chin in his hand and some blood started to drip onto his hand, but he didn’t seem to care.

His warm chestnut eyes ran over my face with a calculated look.

“I didn’t hit her, you idiot.” The oni stepped up beside his friend as he shook his head at him.

“She fell and I was helping her up. What do you think of me- saying that I’d hit a female, not to mention a human at that?

” He pulled Haruto back, looking at me apologetically.

“Please excuse him. He doesn’t usually think before he acts. ”

“Oh, no, it’s fine.” I glanced down the street when the bus I was due to take home came into view. “Oh shit! I’ve got to go. Thank you for your help again.” For the second time that day, I was running. I barely managed to get on the bus before the driver pulled away from the curb.