Oracle: A Story from The Reels

by Brian Ewing

  “Prick,” Sisto muttered, as he passed the seated Bell.

  “You can just call me boss,” Bell said, not looking up from his notes.

  Fuck me.

  Sisto got his cup of coffee and grabbed what looked to be a scone. Sisto had only ever seen scones on television. He had known they were at every coffee house he stopped in, but they never sounded good enough to stare at or eat. He took the dry, edible rock and brought it to the empty, white table as he opened the folder again. He reviewed the list of names once more and wondered if he had met some of the unknowns in passing, never putting a name to their faces. He would find out soon enough, he told himself. He flipped the page to see the proposal synopsis the mayor was so enthralled after reviewing.

  SCPD Third Quarter Experimental Proposal

  By Camille Caden, Detective First Grade

  This document is a proposal of gathering elite minds in many fields of experience that I have interacted with personally over my eleven years on the force. I believe with the opportunity given to said unique individuals, the SCPD can increase the closing of cases swiftly and promptly. Each page has a background and assessment of each team member. These are not normal candidates, because this is not a normal experiment. If you want to make a change, you must consider thinking outside the box. I have thought outside the box a lot lately and have come to the consensus that this task force and its members would be the best thing this city can offer its citizens.

  The statement was short yet powerful. It was Caden to a tee, Sisto thought to himself. He turned the page to see a more thorough proposal, with in-depth bullet points of the group’s goals, plan of actions, and time-frames and protocols. Sisto paused at the title of the full document. His heart sank to the floor. He felt a lump form in his throat. He rubbed his finger over the words Caden specifically chose for the title of her experiment, causing The Reels to wake up and bring him back to a memory from the night they were sitting on the couch, laughing and eating and drinking. Something she said in that memory resonated and as The Reels released him from the gifted moment, he pulled out his phone. He pulled up his text messages and went down to open up his conversation with Caden from the night after they slept together.

  Sisto: Hey, hope the meeting went well. Let me know if you and Bell need anything from me for the case. I don’t have much going on today.

  Caden: Hi. I was just thinking about texting you. The meeting went very well. Hope everything pans out.

  The meeting went very well. She had surprised him over and over throughout the time they’d worked together. Her heart was above all else, selfless. She had been planning the task force a month prior from what Jenkins stated. A month of proposing a way to make a permanent spot for him to stay and work within the department. The time and effort she’d put into the whole thing was making him fall in love with her all over again. Swallowing his heartache, he forced a smile and ran his hand over the title once more:

  Project: Corrine