*ELLE'S PoV*

"Let's talk, shall we?" Officer Daniels, the police detective who came to my house the day after Maggie disappeared, suggested with a haughty smile.

"Yes, let's," I agreed sharply, putting my hands on my hips and glaring at him. "And let me talk first: What in the world are you doing on my property without my permission?" He had no right to be there, and he especially had no right to sneak up on me like that.

"I'm a detective on this case," He replied with a shrug, "It's my job to be here."

"Oohh," I nodded sarcastically, "It's your job to skulk around my backyard and sneak up on my like some pedophilic forest-hobo?" I was not going to let up on him. He was a creep— albeit and attractive creep— and creeps deserved nothing but sass from me.

He raised an eyebrow, putting his hands up in defense, "Hey now, watch it with the insults. I could arrest you, you know."

My glare narrowed. He wasn't taking me seriously at all. "And I could have you arrested for trespassing, creeper!" I shouted at him.

"Alright, alright, calm down." Officer Daniels' lips twitched as he fought back a smile.

I gritted my teeth, still glaring at him.

"Now it's my turn to talk," He spoke calmly and authoritatively, though his stance was relaxed. "I have full permission from your parents to be here whenever I need to, as long as it's to investigate the case. Which it is. My only question now, is why you are here." He gestured to the forest around us. "I will not hide the fact that I think you are a suspect. And the fact that you are now lurking in the forest strengthens my belief."

I was beginning to hate that jerk. "I'm not lurking, I'm investigating."

"Investigating what? I've swept this forest a number of times and have yet to discover anything helpful. Unless of course you know something you're not telling me." Officer Daniels raised an eyebrow, "And need I remind you that withholding evidence is against the law?"

Yet to discover anything? Was he blind? Obviously a random door in the forest for no reason would be suspicious, wouldn't it? "Um, hello, what about that?" I asked, waving my arm at the door behind me.

Officer Daniels' smile dropped and was replaced with a look of confusion. "What about what?"

I rolled my eyes. How on earth did he become and officer? He's a moron! "The suspicious white door just sitting among the trees for no reason whatsoever?" I said slowly, gesturing to the door as if I was one of those ladies on a game-show whose only purpose is to look pretty and point at stuff.

Officer Daniels' expression of confusion changed to concern. "Miss... there's nothing there."

"What?" It was I who was confused now.

"There is no door." He stressed, and with each syllable my veins grew colder.

The door... wasn't real?

"But... Maggie and I... w-we..." I began to panic, my heart thrumming so fast I thought it was going to burst from my chest. The door had to be real. It had to be! Maggie and I went through it! We saw the footprints in the mud, and we met Seraphim and Lydia! Maggie was taken through the door! Feeling deflated, I turned to look at the door. It looked just as solid and real as the day Maggie and I first found it. I reached a hand out to touch it, but then pulled back, an irrational fear of my hand passing through it like air stopped me.

"Well, on the bright side, when it comes down to the court case, you could always plead insanity." Officer Daniels said with a shrug.

I said nothing. My never ending flow of sass had dried up with the realization that I very truly might be crazy. If that where the case, where had Maggie gone? She was obviously taken, I heard her scream for help. But... if there was no door... and therefore no video game characters coming to life... who had taken her?

I took a deep breath, my panic hardening into anger. No longer fighting it, I thrust my hand out and grabbed the frame of the door firmly. It was there. It was solid. It was real. I wasn't crazy, and Maggie was somewhere beyond it. I didn't know why Officer Daniels couldn't see it, but I would prove to him I wasn't crazy. With new resolve, I turned to the officer. "You," I snapped, "Come with me."

Officer Daniels laughed. "You are in no position to give me orders, I—"

"Walk. Now." I wasn't taking any of his crap. I was going to find Maggie and that's all there was to it. I began making my way quickly back towards my house, stopping only once to pick up a pinecone. That's what I told my mother I was going out for, and I really didn't enjoy lying to her, even if it was necessary. I walked inside and straight up the stairs to my room. My dad, who I passed on the way up, didn't question why the young obnoxious officer was following me, which was a relief because I'm not entirely sure how I would explain it anyway.

When I got to my room I went immediately to the Game Informer laying on my bed, which was still open to the page about Dark Reckonings, and held it out to Daniels. "Look."

Still confused, he took the magazine from my hand and examined the image. "Okay?" He asked, "I'm looking. What am I supposed to me seeing?"

"It's Maggie." I insisted, tapping the picture of Lady Jacintha.

"Yes, that looks like how you described her, but what is your point?" Officer Daniels sighed.

"My point," I said, "is that this is Maggie." This could work one of two ways. Either Daniels would think I was completely off my rocker and never speak to me again, or he would believe me and actually find a productive way to look for Maggie. Both options would be fine with me. "I believe she was taken through the door that you for some reason couldn't see and has somehow been turned into a game character." That sounded a lot crazier coming out of my mouth than it had in my head, but oh well.

Officer Daniels was silent for a moment, then he nodded. I looked at him hopefully, but then he proceeded to say, "Yep, I'd definitely plead insanity if I were you."

I snatched the magazine back from him, not even caring if the pages were crinkled. "Fine then. Get out." I snapped. I didn't need him anyway. "I'll find her on my own."

"Okay, okay." He said defensively before backing out of my room and closing the door behind him.

With an angry sigh, I tossed myself onto my bed, burying my face in the pillows and once again allowing myself to wallow in my almost-depression.

I didn't care if he believed me or not. I didn't care that the door was locked. Nothing would stop me from finding Maggie and bringing her home. And that was a promise.

Later that night, during dinner, the house phone rang.

"I'll get it," My dad said, sliding his chair away from the table. He went out to the living room, where the phone was, and I heard the beep as he answered it.

I turned my attention back to the meatball I had been pushing in circles on my plate. Food was usually my favorite thing in the universe— right up there with cats and RPG video games-- But I was thinking. And thinking while eating is not the smartest thing to do. I glared down at the meatball before stabbing it with my fork, imagining that it was Officer Daniels's face.

"Stellie?" My dad called, coming back into the room. I looked up to see him holding the phone out to me. "It's for you. Someone named Marcus?"

I was about to tell my dad I didn't know anyone named Marcus, but something stopped me. I just thanked my dad, took the phone and went out to the living room. "Hello?" I asked.

"Don't freak out on me again, I need to talk to you about something." A familiar voice spoke on the other end.

"Officer Daniels?" I questioned, shocked.

"Yes," He said, "Now I'm not sure I entirely believe your story, because it's completely nuts, and I still think you're nuts as well, but I got to thinking that crazier things have happened. So, as strange as it is, I'm willing to go along with your story for now."

It took me a moment to register everything he'd just said. So... he was going to believe me? He would help me look for Maggie my way? I was so happy I could barely form a coherent thought, but I was able to say, "Your name is Marcus?"

I could hear him sigh on the other end of the phone. "Out of all the things I just told you, that's what you're focusing on?"

"Why did you have to tell my dad you were Marcus, couldn't you have just said 'Officer Daniels'?" I pressed, not dropping the subject.

"Because, I could probably be fired if my superiors heard that I was going with your story." Officer Daniels. "So I'm doing this on my own time, as Marcus, not Daniels."

"That's really..." I search for a word. Cool? Nice of you? Secret Agent-y? Unable to find a suitable word, I ask the other question that's on my mind. "Why are you suddenly helping me, Daniels?"

The other end was silent for a moment, and I looked down at the phone to see if I had accidentally disconnected, but then Daniels spoke again. "I'm... not entirely sure. And remember, call me Marcus."

"Okay, Marcus." I stressed the name. It sounded strange on my tongue. "How are you going to help me with this? Do you have an idea about how to get the door-- the door that is real, by the way-- open?"

"No, I don't have any ideas about your door... but I may have found a lead." He said, "What game is it that you believe she was taken into? The Shadows of Light series, correct? Well, next weekend, the creator of the series is having a fan meet and greet in Fresno California."

"That's great," I replied, "But there's one problem: California is a long way from middle-of-nowhere Pennsylvania. And I don't have a car." I stopped for a moment, thinking, then added, "Or a drivers license."

"That's what planes are for, Miss Carter." He replied sarcastically.

"Right, but..." I sighed, "Never mind. I'll figure it out when it gets closer to the day. Next weekend, you said?"

"Yes, next weekend. I'll drive you to the airport if you'd like." He offered. It was strange how helpful he was suddenly being, but I didn't care about that at the moment. I was just too excited to have someone on my side.

"Offi-- um, Marcus?" I said, nearly calling him Officer Daniels again. "If I'm calling you by your name, you can just call me Elle. It's only fair." I felt slightly awkward being on personal terms with a police officer who thinks I'm a suspect, but he was only in his early twenties, so at least he wasn't forty. Now that would be creepy.

"Well, I have to go now, but I'll call again if I think of something that might be helpful." Marcus ended before hanging up the phone.

I sat on the couch for a moment, staring at the phone with the start of a smile on my face.

Officer Daniels was a jerk, but Marcus is nice.