CHAPTER 1: The offer

       The noise of the chalk rubbing against the chalkboard made Raven cringe, it made her remember the thriller movies she watched last night which themed mostly of murder and decapitation of human body parts.

Looking back, she didn’t even know how she came up watching them with her friend, Taemin. Her best friend can be very persuasive, well at least he is not the one suffering the aftermaths of the traumatic movie.

It was already a bad morning when she woke up late for school, and the distraction of the thriller movie in her head was another bad thing.

“Note to self, never let Taemin get his hands on horror movies:” Raven murmured to herself as she jot down notes from the board. When she couldn’t take the screeching of the chalk against the board, she finally excused herself and wet outside of the classroom trying to find a water fountain to clear her head.

She was about o take a sip when her phone rang with Taemin’s name flashed on her phone screen. She grumbled and answered the call, a happy voice greeted her but she only replied with a grunt.

“Good morning my dear, Raven! So, did you sleep well?” Taemin asked while munching on his breakfast, a cheese stuffed bread and black coffee.

“It’s 10 in the morning; don’t you have work or something? Instead of annoying a hardworking student trying to survive college? Huh?” she huffed and kicked a nearby pebble on the ground, Taemin just smiled on the other line.

“Ah... I take it that the movie did no lull you to sleep. I beg to differ, it was awesome! I rented another one and it involves those cannibals in the Amazon. We should watch it next weekend!”

“Ugh no, Taemin! Enough with your silly movies, it disturbs my peaceful home!”

“But I wanna watch it with you!”

Taemin pleads and Raven could just imagine him pouting like an eight year old. She hates to admit that the gesture works on her, it is after all Taemin’s secret weapon against her refusals.

“No means no, bye, Taemin!” she sang but before she could hung up, Taemin stopped her.

“Wait! I called for another reason; chief wants you at Eunhwa after you’re done with school today.” Taemin’s tone suddenly dropped while delivering the news. “He said he has a job for you, an important one.” Raven could not help but catch Taemin’s tone, he was worried, she can tell.

“I’ll be fine, I’m sure it is no biggy, I’m a grown up girl, and I can take care of myself, Taemin.” Raven calms him but he just gave a big sighed.

“I just—have a bad feeling about this one. The way chief looked at me when he told me to notify you... he looked bothered, Raven. If it is a dangerous case, please do not take it and do not risk your safety.”

There was a long pause after Taemin said those words. For such a young age, Raven had been a talented and mart girl who entered college too early than others.

Her skills were noticed by a chief of police and got her to solve some of the difficult crimes piling up at Eunhwa police department.  Taemin is one of those young talents as well, although he works as a regular officer already at a young age. Raven is just starting college in hope to take Psychiatry as her major someday.

“A deep understanding of the human behaviour does the trick” the line that she always pull off when she solves a crime and makes Siwon, the chief of police scratch his head. He knew that Raven had the wits, but he sees something different as well that makes her special, something that made him recruit Raven for his team of elite youngsters.

“I’ll be picking you up at 3.” Taemin’s voice was low and Raven just hummed back.

The thriller movies in her head now gone but replaced with excitement and nervousness of the new case she is about take, it was something that disturbed Taemin, ad that was unusual for someone who watches a lot of disturbing films. She just went back to class and watched time fly until 3pm came.

“You two are late” Si