Prologue (Part 1)
The wailing was loud, louder than the roaring flames that engulfed the shop or the howling of the forthcoming sirens beginning to build up outside. Many lights started turning on in the neighbourhood houses, all worried and curious about the unfolding events that awoke them from their slumber.
When the warnings of blinding blue and white colours danced together on top of a car racing down the street; you had to automatically presume that when the police got involved - there's trouble.
Men began jumping from their trucks and made their way to the double doors of their vehicles, where the water and foam hoses lay at rest to be used quickly and efficiently.
One man with a gun tied to his belt had instantly shot from the safety of his police car, ignoring the shouts of desperation from the young rookies in the back seats, and dove into the swirling flames with a face of pure determination.
"Marcell!" A woman's voice called after him before he entered what seemed to be a maze of broken planks and shattered vases.
Within the crackling of the flames, he heard the wailing of a baby and it only got louder as he approached.
Then, tucked into a corner by the counter, lay a tiny baby wrapped in a finely knitted blanket. The blanket was pink, and what he assumed was her name was imprinted on the front. He didn't pay attention to that, however. For there was a light yellow glow pulsating her little body, other than this abnormality; Marcell gave a sigh of relief when it seemed that she was unharmed.
He picked her up and cradled her in his arms. What he saw intrigued him; a small baby, flushed in the cheeks from her constant crying, only held the life of the fire in her eyes. No iris, no colour, nothing but a steadying flame when she realised his presence.
She looked into his eyes, which held so much understanding and depth for a baby, and the flame suddenly burnt out. Her eyes now looked like pure black coal until they kept shrinking and shrinking.
Then expanded.
Her eye colour was blue, like a calming ocean just after a storm.
It was then that Marcell had realised that the fire from the shop had dispersed, and was now replaced by the silent pitter-patter of rain.
"Did you do that?" He awed at the little baby before him, and she suddenly give him a happy gurgle as she reached out to entwine her tiny fingers with his rough scarred ones.
He felt a spark, somehow.
"Marcell?! You IDIOT!" The woman yelled, suddenly getting closer. "Do you have a death wish?! We, as a Unit, go in together! You-!" She had just noticed the small bundle in his arms, and then cleared her throat. "Was she alone?"
"She's the only one here, Constable Stevens. I reckon she was just dumped here by a parent who didn't want her before they set the place alight." He answers in a firm voice.
"It's cases like this I hate the most. Another one was only found last week." She frowned indignantly. "The family who's shop burnt down adopted her."
Marcell's eyes shift as he remembers.
"Mike's little girl, Bloom?" He asks , but he already knew the answer.
"Vanessa was overjoyed to accept her ever since she heard the news that she couldn't conceive." The Constable tapped her foot a little with her arms crossed over her chest, looking with an observing eye at the little shop before nodding to him.
"They are going to want us outside, then the paramedics will take care of her." She said before ducking behind a out of place wooden plank that was loosely dangling from it's place on the ceiling. She stopped to turn back to him with a concerned look. "You may want to call your wife, Marcell. She sounded really upset when she called only a while ago. I give you leave for tonight, you've done well."
He nodded, reluctantly handing the baby over to Constable Stevens as they walked, just before the rookies started cheering like drunk idiots when they emerged.
Constable Stevens gave a disapproving sigh.
"Some day one of them will be in the roll of action, and none of them will be cheering then." She grumbled.
"Karma goes around Constable." He smiled softly even at the situation of things. She groaned quietly to herself.
"Stop sucking up to the higher ups and go home, Marcell." She said before walking off to the Paramedics.
As Marcell reached his police car, he heard his phone ringing from the glove compartment where he left it. He opened the door to see the rookies watching what was going on outside.
"Beat it. Constable Stevens will be taking you home later." He said in a casual tone that so said officer. After hearing the occasional mock remark as they got out of the car, he picked up the phone to answer it.
"Marcell!" A woman cried. His eyes shouted panic stations.
"Victoria?!" He nearly yelled down the phone. "What's wrong?! what's the matter?!"
More weeping.
"Marcel! It's the baby!" She cried. "There was blood! I lost the baby!"
His eyes widened, suddenly he made a sharp U-turn before speeding over the limit to get home to his precious wife. That's if he didn't kill himself first with his obnoxious driving.
