Dying Embers

Brett Fox rolled out of bed, her auburn hair in her face. She swiped it behind her ears and dashed for the shower. It was her first day of work, and she had a lot to prove. Her German Shepherd, Diego whined at the door. He was her partner in Narcotics from back home in Charleston, and she had raised him since he was a puppy.
"Diego, I'll let you out in a minute!" Brett said, winding a towel around herself. She walked back into her room, raking a brush through her hair and wound it back into a ponytail.

'Time to get dressed now', she thought. Brett pulled a pair of jeans out from a drawer and a medium blue crop top with a white cami. She tossed them on and walked into her kitchen, grabbing a Fiber One bar and a bottle of water. Diego carried her Converse. She grabbed her shoe and pulled it on her foot, picking up the other one and doing the same.
"Alright, Diego, we'll go out", she gave in, clipping a leash to her dog. Brett grabbed her jacket as they walked out the door. She checked her watch. She had to report to the precinct in thirty minutes. Diego finally finished his business and they went back into her apartment.

"Wish me luck, boy", Brett cooed to her dog, rubbing his ears. She grabbed her phone and keys and disappeared out the door. She walked to her car, a 1969 Chevy Camaro SS, and got in. It was a long commute to the precinct, due to the Big Apple's infamous traffic. She got out and saw she was almost late. Brett dashed into the precinct, trying to calm her nerves. This was a big day. She had to get this right...

A tall man with dark red hair approached her.
"Can I help you, miss?" he asked. Brett nodded.
"Um, where's David Sythe? I'm supposed to report to him", she asked. He pointed to the desk in the far corner and looked her over.
"Wait, are you Brett Fox?" he asked. Brett smiled.
"Indeed I am", she responded. The man looked at her again and walked away, laughing. Brett walked towards the desk, trying to be confident.
"Detective Sythe?" she said, trying to keep the nervous squeak out of her voice. She cleared her throat and tried again. A blonde-haired man turned around.
"You must be Detective Fox. Nice to put a face with the voice", he said, shaking her hand.

"You as well, sir", Brett replied. He stood up.
"C'mon, I'll introduce you to the rag-tag crew you're gonna be working with. Your partner's on a scene, he should be here soon", Detective Sythe said, gesturing her forward. Brett followed him, her nervousness ceasing. They walked past desks.
"That's Detective Elizabeth Sawyer and her partner, Detective Ryan Quinn", he said, pointing to two desks. A pretty brunette looked up and her jaw dropped.
"This is the detective from Charleston?" she asked. Sythe nodded. Detective Sawyer slapped her hand over her mouth, but said nothing. Detective Quinn stood up and shook her hand.

"Nice to meet you, Detective Fox", he said. Brett smiled.
"You too", she replied. Sawyer stood up and shook her hand as well.
"I love your accent", she complimented Brett.
"Thank you", Brett replied. She loved hearing New York accents. Sythe walked her through, naming off more people.
'How am I going to remember all of their names?' Brett thought with an inward sigh. The door opened and a tall dark-haired man with a shorter man with dirty blonde hair walked.
"Told you, the Giants are majorly sucking this year", the taller man said.
"Flack, this is your partner, Brett Fox", Sythe said, pointing to him. Flack gave her a once-over.
"You told me Brett Fox was a man", he said. Brett raised her eyebrow.
"Sorry to disappoint", she replied. Sythe snickered.
"This is your partner, Detective Don Flack", he said. Brett extended a hand, but Don just stared at it. Brett put her hand down awkwardly and rubbed the back of her neck, something she always did when she was nervous.

"Don't mind him, he's rude. I'm Danny Messer", the dirty-blonde man said, shaking her hand.
"Nice to meet you", Brett replied.
"Alright, there was a call about someone finding a body. You two get on that", Sythe said, pointing to Brett and Don. He pulled Don aside and said something in a low voice to him. Don frowned but shrugged.
"Alright, let's go", he said to Brett, walking off. Brett walked after him. It was her first case and she wasn't going to glow like she did in Charleston. She was going to shine.