Valen: Chapter 1

Valen meets Liam.

One

Valen

 

 

     There have been a few times in my life when I wondered if someone had chosen their career based on the type of childhood they had. After the scary, traumatizing childhood that I’d lived through, I always hoped that I would one day become an officer of the law. Today my dream is coming true. I’m getting ready to graduate from the New Jersey Police Academy in only two hours. The terrible nightmares of why I wanted to be a police officer keep flashing in the dark depths of my mind. For most of my childhood, I was forced to watch my drunken father beat on my sweet mother as if she was his personal bunching bag. I had seen him punch her, kick her while she was down, and even choke her neck until she turned the color blue. This went on for many years because my mother was too terribly afraid to leave since my dad always told her he would search for us, and he would find us. He wouldn’t have to say anything further because mom knew what would come next. Her punishment.

     I don’t blame her for being too scared to leave. Who knows what that man was capable of doing? I always wanted to jump in and do something to help my mom during the beatings, but I was just too small to do anything for the longest time. Or maybe I was like my mother, and just too scared. I guess I’m just lucky he didn’t take any of his frustrations out on me. He never touched me, not even once. Not even when -

     Suddenly a tap on the bathroom door made my memories fade, and brought me back to the present. “Are you almost ready to go?” My mother asked through the bathroom door.

     “Yes mom, just fifteen more minutes.”

     “Okay. I just want to get there early so I can get a really good seat, and we still need to go to the office and check out.”

     “Be right there mom.”

      My mom and I live in Camden, which is about one and a half hours from Sea Girt, which is where I’m graduating. We got a hotel room for the night before my graduation.

 

     Barely fifteen minutes later, I was out of the hotel door wearing the required police uniform I had rented from the academy. We either had a choice to purchase or rent the uniform, and since I didn’t expect to need that particular uniform again, I had decided to rent mine. I couldn’t afford to waste money on something I wouldn’t need but only once. I’d spruced up my makeup and tied my hair back in a tight bun. The uniform was a little much for this warm June morning in New Jersey, but I guess I’ll have to get used to it since being an officer is what I wish to do for my career. For the first two and a half years since graduating high school, I worked two part-time jobs while earning my Associates Degree in Criminal Justice. I needed to save up enough money to live on while at the academy. When I wasn’t at class, I worked as a hotel housekeeper by day and a pizza waitress by night. I was still lucky to have enough saved up to hold me over for the six months I spent at the academy. Mom tried to help a little, but she barely makes enough at White’s Food store and from cleaning offices to pay her own bills, and still have some left for her groceries and gas for her car.

     Once my mom and all of our bags were loaded in my car, I went to the hotel office and checked us out. We arrived at the Police Academy grounds twenty minutes later. My mom wasn’t exactly thrilled about sitting six rows back from the outdoor stage since she originally wanted the first or second row, but I told her it could be worse, she could be in the very back with the procrastinators, and so she agreed with me and finally stopped complaining. After she was settled into her seat, I went behind the stage to join the other graduates.

     “Hey Valen! Over here,” a female voice shouted. I looked toward the familiar voice and saw that it was my best friend Dana Myers whom I became close with while at the academy. Being roommates for the past six months might have had something to do with us being so close, but I think we would’ve hit it off anyway. I love that she has a straightforward personality, and she also has a great sense of humor with just a touch of sarcasm. Our other roommates didn’t know how to take her comments, so they would just try to avoid her altogether. I went to stand with her until we had to get into our assigned places. Just like high school graduation, we were forced to line up in alphabetical order.

     “You look beautiful,” I told her. She had her honey blonde hair in a sophisticated up-do, and she made the boring blue uniform look much better than anyone else did. But then again, she always did look beautiful. I was surprised to meet someone of her status at the academy since her family is filthy rich. Dana is definitely in to serve and protect versus the paycheck. Of course her parents aren’t particularly excited about her choice to become a police officer. Her mom is a famous food chain heiress and her dad is a civil-suit lawyer who wanted Dana to follow in his footsteps. I guess he shouldn’t complain very much. I mean she did go into a field of law after all.

     She gave me her warm, bright smile. “Thanks, I’m so nervous. And you look beautiful as well. You don’t even look nervous at all. How do you not look nervous?”

     “I’m not nervous, I’m excited. I’ve waited for this moment for a very, very long time,” I told her.

     Just then, our graduation coordinator came back and advised us to get into our assigned places, so I had to go a few spaces back behind Dana. There were only eight other graduates between us.

     The ceremony ended up lasting a gruesome hour and a half. Even though I was sitting under the hot sun I thought I might fall asleep during a couple of the speeches. Luckily I made it through without getting caught snoring. Afterwards, I took my mom out for a late lunch to one of my favorite places, a nice gourmet sandwich restaurant in Sea Girt. It’s not the type of place she gets to experience often so it was a real treat for her.

     Mom was unusually quiet on the long drive back to Camden. Thanks to one of my academy instructors I already have my first interview on Monday, and I assumed that she must have been thinking about me moving out once I get my first job as an officer. I know she’ll hate going home to a quiet, empty house after work, but that has to be a hell-of-a-lot better than going home to an alcoholic, psychotic husband.

 

***

 

     I awoke very early on Monday. I was excited for my first police job interview, which would be with Commissioner McVey and Chief Russell of the Camden County Police Department. I had applied for the position early last week after Lieutenant Hogan suggested I should, and then I got called for the interview on Friday. I dressed in my only nice black suit with a white tank top underneath and black heels. Since I’d saved up all of my money for the police academy, I didn’t have much left over for a new wardrobe. I put my hair in an up-do and put on slightly less makeup than usual because I wanted to make a good first impression.

     I was surprised to see that Commissioner McVey is a woman. Not that women can’t be Commissioners, but I don’t think it’s very common and I certainly didn’t expect it. I’m not usually one to stereotype, but she doesn’t even look like a police commissioner. If I passed her on the street, I would imagine her to be a middle-aged secretary or maybe even a schoolteacher. She was wearing a dark grey pencil skirt with a white button up blouse and a light grey cardigan. She had her dark blonde hair in an up-do and she wore glasses with dark frames. Chief Russell, on the other hand, was the epitome of a police chief. He is a balding man of about fifty, wearing khaki slacks, and a navy blue polo shirt with the CCPD logo on the left side of his chest. He looks as though he’s had his fair share of donuts over the years.

     Most of the questions they asked me seemed personal, except for a very few what-would-you-do-in-this-job-situation. Police interviews must be different from the occasional entry-level office position. They weren’t as interested in my personality as they were on how well I work with others or my medical and physical stats, such as: how fast I can run, how well I can use defensive skills to put down a bad guy who is resisting arrest, or how well I can shoot a gun. Besides, we were all put through a Psych evaluation at the academy, and any police commissioner and chief can get those results as well. I thought the interview went well, and Chief Russell even commented on the fact that I finished in the top one-percent of my class at the academy. He also said Lieutenant Hogan spoke very highly of my abilities.

     Unfortunately, it was still one of those interviews where the interviewer says “we’ll call you” with a silent emphasis on the unspoken “don’t call us,” and I left the interview already wondering how long it would take for me to receive that call that I’ve been dreaming of constantly for the last four years. I was immediately broken from my thoughts when I walked around a corner and collided into someone.

     “I’m so sorry,” I said just before I looked into mesmerizing blue eyes. They were an amazing shade of summer blue, they sparkled like sapphires, and my breath hitched in my throat.

     “Oh no, pardon me. I need to watch where I’m going,” he said coolly. His voice was deep and smooth. I think I heard a hint of an Irish accent, but I could’ve been imagining it.

     Surprisingly, the sight of him made me so nervous that I immediately became speechless. What the hell? No one has ever had that affect on me before. Well, Eddie Gardner almost did during my junior year of high school, but this seems worse, much worse. I could only glare at him as if I were in a hypnotic trance. Wavy, strawberry blonde hair framed the stranger’s breathtaking face. My eyes moved downward and I quickly noticed the outline of his arm muscles bulging inside of his grey suit, and I suddenly felt a deep yet unusual physical ache in my lower stomach. When my eyes slowly returned to his beautiful face, there was a sexy, knowing smile. I could feel myself blush at having been caught obviously checking him out. I knew I needed to get away fast, so I only returned a smile and then quickly walked away before I embarrassed myself further. As I was walking away, I had a strong urge to glance back at him, to get one more look at the exhilarating man, but I fought that urge off for fear that he may catch me looking…again. Then I would really be embarrassed, and embarrassment is not an emotion that I’m familiar with.

Copyright © 2016, R.J. Snow

Author's Note

Please ignore grammar problems as I am only a self-published writer. Thanks!

Reviews

[Ruth]

I enjoyed this...it has many elements that fuse together nicely :) I was captivated enough to read more when I am able...you have set the tone well and gained interest...left on a note that lures the reader in, excellent :)

[RJ Snow]

Thank you for the kind review. I'm glad you enjoyed it!

[M.R Steiner]

this isn't usually the kind of thing I read but I found it entertaining none the less. at first I was a little apprehensive, but like I said that's just because it's out of my comfort zone :)

I can only give you my reading experience since I am strictly an amateur so here it is :)

while I found it all entertaining I found the beginning a little hard to get through, while it explains her central motivation, I feel it could be moved a little further on with the reference to domestic abuse, either that or maybe the vivid memory playing in her head step by step? phew, that's my only real problem, now on to the good stuff :)

the story really got going after that part and my apprehension melted away, your writing managed to keep my attention the whole way to the end. each scene and transition between those scenes blended really well. And I have dyslexia so that's a plus :)

secondly I found it to be very believable and easy to imagine the events and environment you were describing. Romance isn't really my thing, but the hook you put at the end is a great lure for your reader who is, I'm sure :)

would love to get your opinion on something I've rewritten a couple of times, I'm sure it's out of your comfort zone but then again this was for me, so maybe we'll surprise each other :)

http://www.writerscafe.org/writing/couincilmanZero/1837324/

[M.R Steiner]

and then I realize the tag says vampire, so maybe were not so different after all :)

[RJ Snow]

Thank you for the review, I take all reviews/feedback into consideration while writing :)