“Esi, you have a letter.”

I looked up from the desk in my room to face Nircoel, who was standing at the door.

“From who?”

He shrugged and handed it to me, our fingertips brushing against each other as I took it from him. There was an awkward pause, but neither of us mentioned it.

“Thanks, Nir.”

“Uh, yeah. Dinner will be ready in five.”

“I’ll be down in a moment.

I opened the letter when he left.

“Dear Ezyn,

                I hate to be so blunt, but we at headquarters will need to schedule a meeting with you soon. There are many things we must discuss. What, you ask? We can start with your past. We might end there too. You see, you have left us with many unanswered questions, and we do not like that. This letter is meant to inform you of the letters we will send in the future to keep you updated. Make sure you do not miss a single one! 

                                                                                                 Sincerely,

                                                                                                           Me again”

I sighed, tossing the letter onto my desk in exasperation. We had just solved the biggest case in Shoals, and I wanted a break to…focus on myself.

“Esi! Dinner’s ready!”

Smiling, I pushed the letter to the back of my mind and joined Nircoel for dinner.

~.~

Having just woken up, I didn’t know whether to be concerned or excited for Khlo. She had texted me something ambiguous.

“I have some BIG NEWS”

She’d followed it up with saying she’d had it for a few days but didn’t know how to bring it up.

Should I be worried…? I thought, mind still groggy.

In the end, I decided no and went to use the bathroom.

I had also seemed to forget that I lived with someone, for I opened the door without knocking --

-- And slammed it right back shut.

My tired brain couldn’t organize what I’d just seen, nor could I think rationally. I was left in shock, not knowing what to do. 

Do I talk to Nircoel about it? No, I shouldn’t. But I should, right? That’s the obvious thing to do…Maybe I should give us both a few minutes…