MEOWZERS

The room Hopkins led him to was covered in whiteboards and bulletin boards with missing papers and files covering them with stereotypical red strings attaching them. Hundreds of papers and files covered the desk spaces and floor, making the room look like a filing cabinet exploded. “Ignore the mess, as you can see it's been a little chaotic.” She huffed, pushing aside files and papers for him to sit. “No kidding.” Liu set his bag down, picking up a printed paper of a missing girl from a month ago. 

“Are… Are all these kids missing?” 

Detective Hopkins didn’t respond right away, “Well, yeah. It's a work in progress as I said.” She sighed and stood up, looking down at the pile beside him. It was more than Eighteen. Way more.

“Why do you need me here?” Liu asked suddenly. He stared down at Hopkins with like he was waiting for this big reveal, a glimmer of hope and opportunity in the sea of posters. Hopkins knew the look. “Okay… Just, listen.”

“This isn't a normal missing persons case. This many don't just kids go missing in a town like this, Not this rapidly. And this is just the beginning.” 

Liu swallowed. “Just the beginning? What the hell does that mean?” 

“It's complicated but you just have to listen to me, okay?” She turned, facing him with a look that screamed desperate. “During all these cases there's a few common themes, almost all these kids come from troubled homes, either abusive or low income. And in almost all the cases we’ve found this symbol in the homes of the kids or around some of the crime scenes.” She pulled a file of photos taken, all containing a circle with a large X in the middle either etched into tiles or wood in people's homes or drawings from children with the symbol somewhere on the page. 

“I see.” He sighed. “Look, I… I appreciate you taking the time to show me… This.” He took a step back. “But I still don't understand how I fit into all of this. I understand you need the help, but I can’t just jump back into this kind of work so easily. Not to mention…” He waved his hand slightly. “This feels like more of a lost cause than anything.”

She sighed, “I know this is a big ask. But there's something deeper going on here.” Her hands dropped the files that she was moving and she put her head in her hands. “We’ve barely got a decent team here. Most people saw the workload and decided right then and there it was impossible. But someone has to do something. Not just for us, for those families, for the kids.” She looked up at Liu. “Please.” 

He should have left right then and there. Hell, this was insane. But he knew he had nothing to go back to than his own insane ramblings of psychology and mentality, talking to bored college kids all day and going home to nothing but his own thoughts.

“Yeah fuck it. I’m in.” He said gruffly. 

She immediately stood up, perking up immediately. “Wait actually? Holy shit you’re being serious?” She chuckled. “Well shit, welcome to the team then!” 

“Yeah, thank me later.” He hummed. “Speaking of, what kind of “team” are we working with here?” 

Being a human was never made out to be easy, not even for a middle-class citizen like Liu. Whether it was keeping a job or juggling medication, or mundane things like forgetting to floss.

It was never easy.

His hands paused at the wide chalkboard in his classroom, pressing a thin dot of white chalk against the green in silence, his mind elsewhere, until two women walked in from the balcony entrance of the auditorium. 

“Louis.” An older woman's voice rang out, snapping him out of his brief daze. “Miss Kizzel,” He turned, watching the women walk down towards him. “I’m still in the middle of–” He turned fully, seeing the now empty auditorium with only a few kids who were packing up or asleep. “Class.”

“Your session ended seven minutes ago. Although from the sight of it my guess is you were done much before that.” She huffed, turning back towards the door with a snark. “You have a visitor.” 

A younger woman walked towards Liu's desk, wearing a clean jacket and dress pants with a detective badge on her belt. That never meant anything good.

“Louis Hocket, it's nice to finally put a face to the name. I’m detective Morgan Hopkins ” She held her hand out to shake. He didn't. 

“Just Liu is fine.” He responded quietly, tugging at the cross necklace on his neck, a nervous habit of his. “Did I do something to warrant a visit, detective?” She shook her head, smiling slightly as she moved towards his board. “Nothing like that.” Her hands ran across the board as she examined his writing. All psychological nonsense with buzzwords to make himself seem smarter than he actually was, she knew the type. “You did detective work back in the county district a few years ago, in my field to be specific–” 

“Get to the point.” He snapped.

“...Hm.” She inhaled, stepping away from the board and finally looking up at him, her gaze turning serious. 

“Back when you were working there all those years ago there were about eight missing children's cases, one of which you solved.”  

“I didn't solve anything. We stumbled upon a body, that's it.” 

“You closed it regardless though.” She hummed, tapping her nails on the desk beside Liu. “There were five unsolved cases that were eventually forced closed when you left the force. Now there's eighteen that have been reopened.” 

There was a brief moment of silence between the two. Liu knew better than to listen to some cop, especially knowing his history. But that fact alone got him thinking; Eighteen kids. Even for Blackpointe that was a lot. 

“Alright, what's your point? I find it hard to believe they'd want me back after all these years.” 

“It wouldn't just be a job opportunity, we have dozens of parents and families who need this closure. They need something to believe in. I’m aware you haven't done much but find bodies in ditches but at this point that might just be what we need right now.” She wasn't being blunt, just realistic, something that Liu actually might have appreciated if the context were different. “And we desperately need the help.”  She definitely wasn't bullshitting him like most cops did, she meant it. She wanted to find those kids, dead or alive. And Liu had nothing better to do than sit around and do lectures at community colleges anymore.