We drove around for most of the day, visiting several stores. I bought a lot of stuff, from a temporary meal for Seamus and me to food for the rest of the month. This I ordered to be delivered to my house and called my mom to let her know ahead of time. She was understandably surprised.

“Don’t worry, mom,” I said. “It’s a job I just got. I’ll explain later.”

I wondered briefly if I was able to tell her about my job or not. Not sure, I pulled out the card the secretary had given me. I coated my hand in aura, and almost at once, I heard her voice in my head. Deciding that Seamus shouldn’t see me talking to thin air like a maniac, I put my phone back to my ear, pretending to be on a call.

“Good afternoon, Apprentice Silas,” her familiar voice sounded in my head. “How can I help you?’

“Good afternoon,” I said, hesitating. “I never caught your name, did I?”

I could hear the smile in her voice as she replied. “No, you didn’t. My name is Meredith.”

“Oh. Okay. Meredith, am I allowed to tell other people about what I do for work?”

“Of course,” she replied. “You are free to share the true nature of your job with whoever you want. But please keep in mind that we operate in secrecy, so be careful who you trust with this information. If they become a threat to our secrecy, we will purge their memory of us, and that can cause some complications.”

I felt as if a lead weight had settled into my stomach. “What kind of complications?”

“Well, our brand of memory alteration is much like severe amnesia. We erase all memories they have that are linked to our existence. This can cause other memories gained since they learned to go awry.”

“Oh,” I said again. “Okay, I’ll be careful. But I’m sure my mom can keep the secret.”

“That is your call to make,” Meredith said. “Please contact me again if there is any trouble.”

So that meant one awkward conversation when I got home, I thought. Still, there was some time before that had to happen. I told Seamus to drive to a clothing store next, so that I could buy new clothes for me, my mom, and my sister. It was a popular store, with the latest fashion in the city, but I immediately headed for the coats, eager to buy one I’d had my eyes on for a while. There were so many times I saw it through the window and wished we could afford it, and this opportunity was too good to pass up on.

The coat was technically a trenchcoat, but it was styled slightly differently. It had a lot of tribal designs stitched onto the sleeves and down the back, with a Japanese symbol, known as kanji, between the shoulder blades. I’d looked the symbol up and found out that it meant ‘Warrior’. In addition to looking cool as hell to me, it also now seemed fitting for my new job. So I plucked it off the display, barely glancing at the four hundred dollar price tag. Mine.

Shopping for my mother and sister was a little harder, so after grabbing some new pants and shirts for myself, I decided to just get them both a gift card. I exited the store about half an hour later, laden with more bags. They joined the backseat as I climbed into the passenger seat, sighing with relief. The heat of the day was getting a little intense, and my new coat wasn’t the most comfortable, as it was black.

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“Where to next?” Seamus said, suppressing a yawn.

“That’s all,” I said. “Now I just want to go home.”

He nodded, glancing at the purchases that I’d acquired. “Stop for coffee on the way?”

“Good idea,” I agreed eagerly. “There’s a Sunrise Station on the way.”

I gave him my home address and he pulled out of the parking lot. Sunrise Station was a franchise chain that specialized in breakfast sandwiches made on bagels and excellent coffee. I’d never found coffee better than Sun Station’s, and the thought of a hot cup got my mouth watering.

We went through the drive-through, and both ordered a sandwich and large coffee. I paid for them, and we were off again. As I ate the sandwich, I stared out of the window at the tall buildings passing us by. It all looked the same to me, but I could almost feel as if a major difference was there now. Maybe it was the fact that I was technically apart from everyone else. I was no longer a normal citizen.

Trying to push this depressing thought away, I decided to ask Seamus what had brought him to the city, and America. Judging by his name and the way he spoke, I could tell that he was an Irishman. Seamus told me that his son Dean had moved to America to marry a girl in the city, and after visiting for the wedding, the older man had decided to stay. He’d lived and worked in Toledo for nearly twenty years, driving a cab. He missed Ireland from time to time, but he said he made good money, and living close to his son was nice.

“I’m going to have my third grandson soon,” he said excitedly as he pulled off the freeway.

“Congratulations!” I said. “That must be exciting.”

“Yes,” he nodded. “My son is very happy, but he says Mary is grumpy!”

We both laughed at that, and I imagined his son. He sounded like a cool dude from what I heard. He was a manager in a local bank and living a very comfortable life. Their kids were enrolled in a very good private school, and the family seemed happy. We discussed his family for a few minutes, only stopping when he pulled onto my road and I saw my house coming into view.

I took a deep breath as we pulled into the driveway alongside my mother’s rusty old car, and let it out in a long sigh. Seamus looked at me in confusion, and I grinned at him.

“Just a little nervous,” I told him. “I just got out of the hospital after an accident.”

It wasn’t a total lie, I told myself. Besides, Seamus seemed to accept it at face value. He got out with me and helped me carry the bags to the front door, which I appreciated. I’d gone slightly overboard with my purchases, spending about ten grand all told, but I considered the price well worth it. Still, the bags were heavy.

I fumbled for my own key to unlock the door when it opened, and I could see my mother through the outer screen. She looked a little alarmed at the bundle of bags in my arms, her eyes widening, no doubt imagining the cost. She probably didn’t want to make a scene in front of Seamus though, because she pushed the outer door open quickly to let me in. I muttered my thanks as I lead Seamus into the living room to set the bags down.

“Where did you get all of this?” My mother asked in a terse whisper.

“I’ll tell you in a bit,” I whispered back. Then, louder, I turned to Seamus. “Thanks for the help, Seamus. Have a good night, and good luck with your grandson.”

Seamus grinned easily at me. We shook hands, and then he departed, tipping his hat to my mother before closing the door behind him. As soon as the sound of his cab disappeared from the gravel driveway and back onto the road, my mother turned on me. There was a very stern look on her face that still had a slightly worried air to it. I held up my hands to interrupt her before she could start.

“Alright, Mom,” I said calmly. “Sit down, I gotta tell you something.”