The man's words were like icicles, sharp and piercing. They left no room for response. Spits of rain started to fall behind them and the pitter-patter on the roof became noticeable.

"Who are you?" Caius asked, his tone betraying none of the fear I knew he must have been feeling.

“You don’t have the luxury of knowing that,” the man quickly and forcefully responded.

The two visitors walked in one after the other and stepped past Caius, their gaze shifting from him to me as they entered the living room. Their presence took up the entire house, suffocating it like a dense fog. The taller man took a seat in one of the chairs like he owned the place, while the woman remained standing leaning against the doorframe. "We have a few questions for you," the man said, his voice low and menacing.

Caius and I just stood as we were. "Ask away," Caius responded.

The man said nothing as he waved his hand, inviting us to sit down. Caius obliged whereas I was fine where I was.

So, what do you want to know?" Caius continued on coolly, but I could tell that he was anything but relaxed. He was tense, like a cat ready to pounce.

The man reached into his pocket and pulled out a cigarette. He lit it with a flick of his lighter, blowing smoke into the air with a look of confidence that only made Caius seem more nervous. He acted like the kind of man who relished in this kind of power dynamic.

"First of all, let me clear up a misunderstanding," the man said, waving his cigarette around between his fingers. "We’re not with the enforcers. We aren’t here to take you in or turn you over to anyone. We have our own interests, so I think it would be rather wise to cooperate."

I felt a light wave of relief wash over me. Perhaps I was right and things were not as dire as we had initially thought. But Caius remained tense, his eyes never leaving the two visitors. Did he think otherwise? Were our visitors not who they really claimed to be?

“Is that so?” I replied with my arms crossed.

The man took a long drag on his cigarette and leaned back in his chair, a wry grin playing across his face. "We want to know what happened the other night, with the both of you of course.” He paused and looked between both Caius and I. “We have reason to believe that you two were involved in some kind of… altercation, and we want to know the details."

Caius and I exchanged a quick look, both of us weighing our options. We couldn't risk telling them too much, but at the same time, we couldn't risk making them more suspicious. If they were just enforcers of some sort in disguise, then it would be best not to mention the magic incident in the slightest.

"What kind of altercation?" Caius asked, trying to play dumb.

The man leaned forward as his smile was subtly fading, his eyes narrowed. "I don’t think you understand the situation you’re dealing with.”

The woman spoke up for the first time. “Don't play games with us. We know you were there. We have our sources," hes voice soft and cool like the similar chill in the air.

The tension in the room was visable, it was as if I were stuck in some kind of twisted interrogation scene from a movie. The man's eyes were like lasers, boring into me and demanding the truth, but I wasn’t intimidated. I know my rights… oh, well not if they’re different here.

"We were just passing by," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. "We had no idea what was going on."

The man raised an eyebrow, taking another puff from his cigarette. "Really? That's quite a coincidence, isn't it?"

Caius stood up out of his seat, his stance showing that he wasn't afraid anymore. "What are you implying? We had nothing to do with what happened last night."

I wasn't fully sure what was going on, but I knew that we were in deep trouble. I felt my hands start to shake but I didn’t feel any fear as I had put together a possible theory. "We were just passing by," I repeated. “Is that not good enough?”

The man last night had said we shouldn’t be there. Was that something confidential and these two were sent to shut us up? Then they definitely weren’t enforcers but more likely some kind of secret organisation. A magic organisation, working from in the shadows, behind the enforcers backs.

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

"No, I don’t think it is," the man said, his voice growing colder. He pressed what his cigarette into the table, crushing was left of it. "We need to know what you saw, what you heard, everything."

There was a moment of silence, before I spoke up, breaking the stillness in the room. "I was leaving the library when I stumbled upon a strange man who was… fighting something. We ran away. That's all," I explained as my fingers brushed over the pin in my pocket.

If they were part of some kind of magic organisation, maybe co-operating would be the best option. If I could figure more about this magic stuff, it might lead me to the reason as to why I’m even here. Was this my in?

Caius looked over at me, mouthing something that I couldn't understand. He appeared slightly annoyed with me. I didn't care, I had answered their questions.

Both visitors exchanged looks and the woman turned and walked out of the room. Was that all they needed from us? The chill in the room suddenly dissipated.

The man, however, seemed to have other questions. He leaned forward, his eyes narrowed and his smile subtly fading. "Choose your words wisely," he said, putting another cigarette in his mouth but not lighting it. "Did that man say anything to you?"

Caius appeared hesitant to speak, so I took the lead. I remembered the words the strange man had said and I repeated them, trying to make it sound as if I wasn't completely sure. "I think he said something like 'you shouldn't be here' and 'who are you,' " I said with confidence.

The man's eyes widened in surprise and he chuckled. "That's all?" he said, sounding relieved. "I guess we had nothing to worry about after all."

The man rose from his chair, smiling as he bid us farewell. "See you around, Caius," he said, leaving Caius shocked as he had never mentioned his name, yet the man still addressed him by it.

Caius' eyes widened in confusion and he looked over at me, mouthing the words "How does he know my name?"

You’re obviously well known around here Caius, I don’t think it would’ve been that hard to figure you out. Especially for someone like this.

The man then turned to me and asked, "Can I have a word with you outside, Eli?"

I was taken aback by the use of the name that Caius had been calling me, and I exchanged a confused look with Caius. Does he not know my actual name or is he just trying to be intimidating? I agreed however, and followed the man out of the room, Caius trailing behind us to the door.

As we stepped out of the house, the chill of the winter air hit me. The sky was overcast and a light rain was falling, making the already cold street even colder. The woman was waiting for us outside, her arms crossed and an impatient look on her face as the rain ran down her face.

The man led me away from the entrance. With an irritated look on his face, he leaned in and whispered to me, "My boss wants you to have this." He handed me an unopened letter with no distinct markings or writing on it

"Make sure you open it when you're alone." the man said as he took a glance over towards Caius at the door.

I took the letter and put it in my jacket, my thoughts racing. Who was this boss, and why did they want me to have this letter?

"Okay," I said, trying to keep my voice steady.

The man nodded, satisfied, and lit the cigarette that was already in his mouth. The woman called out to him, her voice strained, "Lucas, hurry up! We have to go!"

The man, Lucas, took a single inhale of his cigarette and then flicked it away, the embers glowing brightly in the rain. "Coming," he called, making his way back to her.

As they left I walked back inside to get out of the rain. Caius and I exchanged a look of disbelief. What had just happened? Who were these people, and how did they seem to know me?

“So they weren’t enforcers huh?” I mockingly jested at Caius.

“There was no harm in guessing. You know, I feel like there was a good chance they were enforcers. Let's say eighty to twenty, heh.” Caius replied with a chuckle.

“Bah, whatever,” I shrugged.

We stood in the living room, lost in thought for a few moments. The rain outside continued to fall, tapping against the windows like a reminder of the strange encounter.

"Well, I'm going to my room," I said, leaving the room. “You can continue contemplating what happened while I excuse myself.

“What?” Caius shouted in shock. “Aren’t we going to figure this out together as a team?”

A team? Who did he think he was? We’re not Sherlock and Watson. “I thought we’d get more done separately don’t you think?” I replied as I walked up the stairs.

“Aww, you’re no fun.”

I didn’t plan to be fun, I just wanted him to get out of my hair for a moment so I could figure out what this letter was all about.

I went into my now new room and closed the door behind me. Sitting down on the side of the bed I pulled the letter out of my jacket and took a deep breath. I slowly tore open the envelope, my heart racing with anticipation. Unfolding the letter my eyes scanned the first printed words on the page as I read it out loud. It read simply, "Hello Eli."