June 2, 20XX - 7:30 AM

A beeping alarm clock. That was the first noise to pierce through the silence and awaken the female occupant of the bed. That occupant was none other than Maxis Johnson.

She groaned and hit the snooze button, just to silence the noisy alarm. Once her room was silent again, she laid in her bed, staring up at the ceiling until her phone started vibrating. She reached over and grabbed the phone, while also turning her alarm off, so that way it wouldn't scare her by going off again.

Taking a look at the caller ID, she saw that it was one of the officers at the police station. You see, after graduating college, Maxis did eventually end up getting her dream job as a detective and was working with/for the local police station. That, of course, only happened after she worked her way up through the ranks. 

"Hello?" She answered the phone while clearing her throat, still partially groggy.

She would listen into what the other was saying, her eyes widening a tiny bit but also nodding, even if they couldn't see. Soon after, she was hanging up because they did the same. Maxis had just been informed of a murder that took place at the somewhat local movie theater.

Finally getting out of bed, Maxis would go to her dressers and closet and pull out some clothing for the day before getting a quick shower. After getting ready, she'd head down to the kitchen and grab something to eat on the way, while also saying goodbye to her brother, Kyle and his wife, Shannon, since Maxis lived in their house.

***

Getting to the movie theater, Maxis got out of her car with her sunglasses still on. She'd walk over to the officers and coroner that were there, trying to get filled in on what happened. Soon enough, the coroner was leading her to the room where the dead body was.

"Jesus..." She quietly muttered, having finally seen the body.

Maxis would take the time to crouch down and get a good look at everything. She wrote down notes about the stab wounds in the head and back, and the long slice across their stomach.

"I haven't seen something this brutal in years..." The coroner said.

Before Maxis could respond to him, they were interrupted by an officer approaching them.

"Johnson, the owner said they have some security camera footage, you can come check it out if you want."

Maxis nodded, standing up and following behind the officer. Once inside the other room, she was met by the owner of the theater and another police officer. They would watch over the security footage, but it was hard to make out anything of substantial detail because the screens were too small and blurry.

Quietly sighing, Maxis turned to the owner, "Is there a way we can get the raw footage and bring it back to the station?"

The owner nodded, "I can get it to you guys either later today or early tomorrow."

Maxis nodded while taking one final look at the screens. Then she'd head back to the viewing room and look at the dead body again, trying to take all the notes she could before leaving.

***

After a few hours, Maxis was in her office at the police station. She currently had the door closed and was busy setting up a board that contained all of the information that was known about the recent murder.

As she scanned her board, there was a knock on the door and soon that door was being opened. It was the police chief and he had someone standing beside him.

"Hopefully I'm not intruding, Johnson..." they started to say.

Maxis quickly replied, "not at all." She smiled.

The police chief nodded, "Good, I wanted to stop by and tell you that you're being assigned a partner for this case."

Maxis' face remained stoic, but you could just tell that this wasn't the news she wanted to hear. Sure, she had worked with others before at the station and on various crimes, but this was one that she wanted to work on by herself. However, it appeared that there wasn't anything she could do about it except 'suck it up' so to speak.

"This is Joshua Smith, he's the one being assigned to the same case, and he'll be working in the office closer to mine, just to keep him out of your hair." He said, pointing at the other person beside him.

Maxis nodded, taking a few minutes to scan the other male. She made quick note of his average-ish height, and his features such as his short, blonde hair and brown eyes.

After being introduced, the police chief left the two alone for a few moments as he went to check on something else. Joshua would make small conversation about the current case, and Maxis, trying to be nice, would respond and answer any questions.

Once his questions were answered, Joshua left and went back to his office. Maxis would close her door, grumbling in frustration at the fact she had a detective partner now. For the rest of the day she was there, she would just focus on her board and notes until it was time for her to go home for the night.

....

A/N: Well, it looks like Maxis is getting a detective partner, and she isn't happy about it. Oop! Anyway, I will see you in the next chapter! Stay safe!