She prided herself on her attention to detail, always noticing the little things others missed. But now, standing here for her first day, her keen eyes were overwhelmed by the sheer volume of activity around her.
Taking a deep breath, she climbed the steps and pulled open the heavy door. After passing through a metal detector, she approached the front desk, where a uniformed officer was absorbed in his computer screen.
It took a minute, but eventually, he acknowledged her. "Can I help you?" he asked, not bothering to look up.
"Officer Watts, reporting for duty," she said, her voice steady despite the nervous energy coursing through her.
He glanced up briefly, his expression unamused, before returning to his work. She lowered her voice slightly, "It's my first day."
"Good for you," he muttered, continuing to type away.
Hailey stood there, unsure of what to do next. The minutes dragged on as he continued to ignore her presence. Finally, he looked up again, a hint of irritation in his eyes. "Did you need something, Rookie?"
"Yes, sir. Academy told me to report here to receive a uniform... a sidearm... a neighborhood assignment?" she replied, her voice firm despite her growing frustration.
The officer sighed and picked up the phone next to him. He dialed three numbers and waited. "Rookie's here, yeah, okay, thanks." He hung up the phone. "Have a seat," he said, pointing to a row of plastic chairs along the wall.
Hailey sat down, the cheap plastic sending electric shocks up her legs. She pulled her hair to the side to lean back. When she let go, static sent it in a million directions. She let out a sigh of frustration, only because no one was paying attention to her. Today marked the beginning of her career, and she was determined to make it count, no matter how rocky the start.