“Hey, J? Can we chat for a second?”

“What do you want?” The response was a bit more than hostile, but no motion was made to physically aggress.

“I know you’re not my biggest fan, and I’m certainly not yours but…” The speaker hesitated, before removing his hat. It was a nervous habit of the boy’s. It was also generally a sign he was being serious. “This isn’t good news.”

“You’re being serious.” The other’s tone became much more passive. He sat upright on the cushion he’d be lounging on previously.

“You know he isn’t going to live forever, right?” The speaker tried again to breach the topic.

“And what the HELL do you mean by that!” The hostility was back, full force. Fists were clenched and shoulders were tense but the young man did not stand. Narrowed eyes dared the other to continue his sentence.

            “This isn’t how I wanted this to go.” The boy’s voice didn’t falter under the other’s scrutiny but his nerves showed by how his fingers fiddled with the brim of his hat.

            “Screw how you wanted things to go -tell me what that’s supposed to mean!” J was standing now, standing several inches taller than the other.

            “He’s got a year.” The sentence wasn’t screamed, it was hardly even spoken but it fell on the room like a lead weight. Silence fell on the room like an icy blanket as the information sunk in. The boy’s knuckles were white as his hands gripped his hat.  This was not the way he had hoped things would go. It wasn’t how he wanted to explain this delicate matter.

            “What do you mean?” J’s voice was quiet, weaker. He collapsed back to the couch. He almost understood what was being told to him but part of him begged that his understanding was wrong.

            “I think you know. I-I don’t usually share this kind of information, I promised her I wouldn’t but you… you’re different. We figured it would be better if we told you.” There was a pause, and then the boy finished speaking in a much quieter tone. “I figured you’d want to know.” He took in the shock and horror on J’s face for a moment before moving his gaze to the floor. It made him uncomfortable, seeing the emotions on the other’s face. “I’m sorry. He’s got a year, 12 months exactly. It’ll be peaceful, but … that’s all he has left. Do with that information what you will.” J stayed silent on the couch as the other made to leave, hat still gripped tightly in hand.

            “Thank you.” He called just as the other passed the threshold.

            “I’d much rather you cuss me out or something. Its creepy when you act like this.” The boy responded, not turning to face J. He didn’t want to bear witness to the other’s emotions. They were a rare enough occurrence that he’d often forgotten J even knew how to feel. Knowing that he’d pushed the normally stoic boy that far was enough. The pair shared a tense and mostly forced laugh at the remark before they both returned to their separate spaces in the world.

A pair of bodies collapsed in the grass, their panting breaths the only sound besides the natural audio of the out of doors. One male and one female stared at the clear sky, catching their breath under the stars. The girl turned slightly, body racking with silent laughter.

            “Its sure nice of you to bring me out here on such a lovely night.” She teased, her eyes full of mischief. The boy didn’t respond.

            “Oh C’mon, lighten up. I didn’t even get mad at you for not bringing a blanket. Who star watches without a blanket?” She laughed, louder now. She accentuated this with a nice shove to the boy’s arm.

            “Shhhh. We’ll get caught.” The boy spoke, surveying their surroundings with caution.

            “You drag me all the way out here - without a single word to why and the first thing you choose to tell me is ‘Shhhh’?” She pushed up on to her forearms to regard the larger male more fully. “Really? Should I call you by your stage name too Freakshow?” She challenged.

            “Mouse!” Her name was hissed just under the male’s breath as; he pulled her flat to her back once more. They lay there silently as light passed not but a foot from their feet.

            “Fine, I’ll behave.” She conceded, crossing her arms over her chest. “But why are we breaking into the president’s bedroom?”

            “Because it’s the fastest way to deliver a message.” The boy responded, climbing to feet and motioning for her to follow once the light had passed.

            “Annnnd why are we delivering him a message?” She questioned, following him - keeping her eyes peeled for security.

            “Because it’s the fastest way to get a gov’t liaison.”

“Ah. So that’s how you always do that.” She mused, as they approached a window.

            “More or less, yeah. Wanna rewrite that camera for me?” He motioned to a camera that would notice their movements if they continued on their path inside.

            “Yeah, Yeah. I’ve got it.” Mouse replied with a wave of her hand. “Why do we need a liaison?”

            “Because I plan on doing something complicated and I’d rather do it with government liaison support than get the entire circus in trouble.” He sighed, pulling himself onto the ledge, then offering a hand to Mouse.

            “Thoughtful. Why are we doing something complicated?” She asked, taking a firm grip of his hand. The lean boy jumped onto the wall, using the ledge to launch himself up. His hand and feet stuck unnaturally to the wall as he climbed, his spare arm pulling Mouse up with him with ease.

            “Because everything with bird is complicated.” He grunted back, pulling them onto the second story window ledge.

            “BIRD. THE bird?” Mouse jolted so suddenly she almost fell from the ledge. When she recovered her balance she spoke again. “You’re doing this for bird?”

            “She’s still not forgiven. But we’ve got to get everyone together.” He answered sliding the window open and helping the girl in. “Why do I bring you along on these?”

            “Giraffing me?” The girl responded, attempting to keep a straight face. The boy refused to acknowledge her pun.

            “Hawkward Silence…” She whispered, a smile growing. “Aw come on. I’m just squidding with you.” The boy regarded her in silence for a moment. Mouse waited hopefully, her expression egging him on.

            “You’re un-bearable.” He finally whispered, a slight smirk showing on his face. He turned away as to not give the girl the satisfaction of knowing she’d won.

            “I knew it! You totally can’t deny the animal puns.” She didn’t miss a beat.

            “Yeah, Yeah, Save it till we’ve got bird back.” The boy chided. They would need to be quiet to go further in.

            “Why are we getting her back- you two kinda had a falling out, right?” Mouse continued her interrogation.

            “I don’t want to talk about it.”

            “That’s otter nonsense, spill your guts.” Mouse teased, throwing in a pun for good measure. The boy didn’t respond. “Oh. You were really being serious. Gotcha. Will focus on task.” She quieted quickly. There was very little information that Mouse wasn’t privy to and when the boy decided enough was enough she wasn’t going to push it. He was her main access to most government databases after all. She’d learned that if she wanted access to the technology she wanted, she had to respect the times he chose not to talk.

            “Thank you, Mouse.”

Two agents walked down the hallway in silence. Their footsteps were quieted by the fibers of the carpet. Their strides were determined but not hurried. The male seemed focused on being just ahead of his female counterpart. He led the way despite the pair being equals. He stood stiffly upright, taller than his partner by several inches at 5’10. His hair was cut short and gelled into place. His suit was black but his tie in contrast was a deep red. His dress socks were a similar color. His name was Tony and he was keeping a secret.

His partner was unaware of his determination to stay ahead of her. Her thoughts were instead focused on how peculiar their supervisor sounded when asking them to report to his office. She couldn’t help but think it was linked to the fiasco they were trying to cover up at the White House. She was taller than average for a woman, being 5’7. She wore black slacks and a light blue dress shirt that contrasted with her dark skin pleasantly. Her slightly curly hair was pulled back into a ponytail with a few short tendrils escaping. Katherine had worked hard to get to where she was and was a no nonsense kind of woman. She had graduated near top of her class and entered the force with the respect of her peers. Earning that respect was very difficult however. The force had been and still to some degree was a ‘men’s field’. Although she could do everything appropriately and often to a higher ability of her peers, there was a stigma with being a female in law enforcement.  This bothered her to the core, but instead of complaining, she grit her teeth and pushed her way to her dream job. She wasn’t there to please others after all, she was there to achieve her own goal. And she achieved it. With the job, came a reprieve from most of the sexist comments and the stigma, though every so often she’d still catch an inappropriate comment.

“Katherine, Tony. Please close the door behind you and have a seat.” Their supervisor, Hernandez asked somberly, the moment they passed the threshold of his office. Katherine complied, letting the office door click shut quietly before taking a seat across from her boss. Tony on the other hand, remained standing and leaned on the back of Katherine’s chair, effectively standing over her. It was a habit that Katherine found extremely irritating, but she stopped commenting on it when she realized her complaints seemed to encourage rather than deter his actions.

“Tony, take a seat please.” Hernandez repeated his request, a bit more forcefully this time. The man in question paused, staring at his boss for just a moment before complying.  “I’m sure you’re both aware of the break-in at the white house by now.” The man began, confirming Katherine’s suspicions. “The perpetrator left no trace and no theft has been discovered yet. The only reason we know someone was there was this letter, placed on the president’s pillow.” He handed an evidence bag with a pink envelope to Katherine. Tony leaned back on his chair, crossing his legs. Katherine knew he did this when annoyed but ignored whatever tantrum her partner was attempting to throw.

“You can open it and read it - no trace of anything - not even a printer signature; Its almost as if the words were painted on. One of the few reasons we think it might not be a joke.” The man sighed. He then shook his head as if he couldn’t believe what he was about to say. “The letter is addressed ‘to whom it may concern’ and signed Freakshow. As if this guy didn’t know he was sending a letter to the president himself. It’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.”

“If it’s so ridiculous and everyone thinks it’s a joke why are we wasting our time with it? And why are we involved?” Tony spoke up now, emphasizing the second we in reference to Katherine and himself. He glanced in distaste at the pink envelope his partner was opening.

“Because according to the higher ups, this isn’t the first time this has happened- Just the first time in our lifetime. Has the Same M.O., same basic script of the letter, just a different name.  And this guy had access to the presidents bedroom, we can’t just assume it’s a joke and risk that kind of a security threat.” Hernandez explained, irritation growing. This case seemed different. They were playing ball with a whole new level of criminal and yet it was being swept under the rug and almost treated as a joke. He understood that the letter wasn’t the most threatening thing in the world but he found himself wondering if that would have been better than the carefree confidence it seemed to be written with.

“And how do we play into this.” Katherine asked, looking up from the letter she was skimming. “Are we the agents assigned to be his liaison?” Hernandez was impressed by her acuity and glad not to hear resistance in her voice. He could only hope that her partner would be as open to this assignment.

“And liaison in this case we mean babysitter for this freak right?” Tony chimed in, snatching the letter from Katherine and scanning through it as their boss sighed and prepared for resistance. “Play date? Who did he think this letter was going to go to? A daycare?” The man spat, tossing the letter back on the desk.  Katherine collected the letter and folded it neatly, placing it back in the envelope and the evidence bag.

“Well you are acting like a child. Maybe play-date is the right word for you two.” She commented lowly. Hernandez interrupted before the male could launch a retort.  

“I’d like you two on this case. According to the letter that they’ll track you down. Honestly though, I don’t care if this guy is a nut-job or not. I want you to find what you can and track them down. If that means playing tag with him or building a sandcastle - do it. We can’t have someone who can break into the white house without a trace running around all willy-nilly. And if they get in touch with you first, that’s wonderful. They just made your job easier.” He explained. He had other things to do, watching this pair bicker wasn’t on that list. Tony huffed in response. Hernandez took that as an affirmative. He knew Katherine would take the case and put forth good effort. She was one of his more dependable agents and he appreciated that about her like a breath of fresh air.

 “Is there anything about the previous times that could help us find them?”

 “I asked the same thing. The files are going to be faxed over. Should be on your desk pretty soon.” He paused, debating whether to finish what he was going to say. Tony stood to leave. “Just as a warning Katherine, they aren’t the most helpful files. The last agents that got a letter like this, well if this is the same kind of thing, they didn’t play well. I don’t know how reliable their info is. And be careful.” It wasn’t exactly what he wanted to express, but he felt like the warning would suffice. Katherine was a smart girl and an excellent agent so he trusted her to take care of herself.

The pair left the office, and several minutes later found the files Katherine had hoped for on their desk. The content of these files however did not live up to expectation. She flipped through the pages with more and more frustration.

 “Something tells me those papers are about as useless as the letter itself.” Tony sighed, pushing the stack that was left on his desk aside. He’d let Katherine waste her time with all the reading and ask for a recap later. It seemed pointless to him for both of them to spend time on such a menial task.

 “Looks like you may be right. Everyone that’s ever dealt with this situation went crazy or died. Only one of them is still alive and I doubt they’re taking questions - especially not after all theses years.” Katherine sighed, looking over the papers.

 “What do you mean by ‘crazy’?” Tony asked, his interest suddenly piqued.

 “I mean crazy. One of the members of the team came back reporting all sorts of impossible things about what they saw on the case. Ended up going through therapy and eventually ended up at a mental institute. Their partner didn’t report anything special and stuck to holding confidentiality. Something about things being better that way. He’s still alive too, but he’s old. This happened quite a long time ago.” Katherine explained.

“Impossible things?” Tony laughed.

 “Yeah, said here she came back spouting off about a boy who could change his appearance just by willing it and could transforms things by his touch. Said he was as old as Carthage, but in the sketch that was done up he looked like a 20 something year old male. There’s another note about a young lady who could bring puppets to life as well. Hard to believe.” Tony shook his head and laughed.

 “What’d they do, drug her full time?” Tony commented with a shake of his head. “And her partner - where’s he at. Any chance he’s not got Alzheimer’s?” Katherine gave him a sharp look but refrained from scolding him. At least the man he was referring to wasn’t present. She couldn’t stand when he’d make snide remarks about people who were in the same room as them. It was rude and unpleasant.

 “He’s in a retirement community. Said he agreed to confidentiality and refused to speak of anything he did while partnered up with them. They couldn’t fire him over it because otherwise news would leak about the break in at the white house and the whole mission. It was remarkably well planned out.” Katherine replied, placing the files back in proper order.

 “Well isn’t that fun. We can run around and do whatever we want and since they can’t leak the story about the president and this Freakshow person, we can’t get in trouble.” Tony laughed. “You better be careful when dealing with this guy then, can’t have you going all crazy and being useless.”

 Katherine turned away from Tony then, finding the man to be extremely annoying. She decided then that while she was going to pay this man in the file a visit - she was going to leave Tony behind.

 “Well - I’m going to go visit this guy, maybe bring him some tea. It’ll probably be a complete waste of time and extremely boring so don’t worry about coming. I know you said you had a lot of work to catch up on. I’ll take my car so you don’t have to worry about me moving any of your stuff in the cruiser.” Katherine offered, trying to make the deal sound as appealing to Tony as possible. She didn’t really want him coming along this time, but if she told him such, he’d come just to annoy her.

 “Only if you’ll be a doll and grab me a coffee on the way back. The stuff here tastes horrible.” Tony chided, before swiveling his chair to face his computer. Katherine moved her head in a vaguely affirmative manner despite knowing that she would ‘forget’ the coffee on the way back. She just hoped that he would actually finish up his part of the work so they could start on this case without any loose ties weighing them down.

 Finding the retirement home was easier that she expected, the man had stayed in the area and the folks that ran the center were very polite. They told her that the man didn’t get many visitors, just his grandchildren and a every so often someone would bring him to the circus. When Katherine inquired who these people were, the answer somewhat surprised her.

 “They aren’t always the same kids but he always seems so happy to see them. I’m not sure if they’re a volunteer group or something, but they take him out to lunch sometimes and sometimes to the circus. I think they’re the ones who send him gifts on the holidays and his birthday as well - but they never sign the package. They’re good kids, really.” The lady at the front desk explained, she was a sweet woman in her early 40s. Katherine really liked her. She led the way to the man’s room, and gave him the heads up that a guest was there before letting her enter his room. The room was quite nice, set up like a small apartment. An older gentleman sat in his recliner, a fresh pot of tea just beside him.

 “Ah, hello!” He greeted her pleasantly. He looked to be in his mid sixties.

 “Hello, I’m Katherine. I’m an FBI agent. I was hoping you’d be willing to answer a few questions of mine?” Katherine introduced herself; glad this man was at least friendly.

 “Ah yes, the kids said you might be coming by. You’re much younger than I was when I met them. That youth might be helpful - they’re a busy bunch!” The gentleman exclaimed, waving the agent in. The woman, who escorted her, took her leave.

 “The kids told you I was coming?” She asked, surprised.

 “Ah yes, they told me you might be coming by if you were curious. Well, not you but some agents. I’m sure you have questions. Did they assign just one agent?” The man asked. “Call me Roger by the way.” He added.

 “No, my partner Tony is on the case as well. I left him back at the office to finish up his work.” Katherine spoke, taking a seat across from the man. “I would like to know about these kids. Maybe let me know what I’m getting into. I know the experience wasn’t very positive for your partner.” The man glanced up at her when she mentioned his partner and sighed.

 “The experience was … different. I accepted it at face value. I kept my promise to them. She - she couldn’t accept what she saw. It was sad thing to see really. I don’t regret what we did to help them. Clearly she didn’t feel the same.” The man sighed. “She was my superior, I respected her. It was sad to see her downward spiral.” This raised more questions than it answered for Katherine.

 “What do you mean by ‘different’? Is there something I should know about these kids?” She questioned. The man didn’t reply right away, as he was focused on handling the teapot. She noticed that his right hand was very weak and seemed difficult for him to control. There were also two cups placed on the table. She waited patiently for the man to pour the cups. “Ah - I brought chocolates, if you’re allowed to have them. I figured I should bring a gift since I’m bothering you in your retirement.” Katherine added, remembering the box of chocolates she picked up on her way over. She felt bad bothering the man over what could have been a traumatic experience - especially so far after the event actually occurred.

 “Ah, really? Thank you dear.” The man smiled at her, before moving his own cup closer to him. Katherine placed the box of chocolates between them, closer to the man’s left side. “Katherine, do you believe in magic?” Though this seemed a silly question, the way the man spoke gave the words weight - suggesting this was a rather important moment.

 “Not normally, but I don’t think I’ve seen anything that I’d consider magical either.” She replied, taking a sip of the tea. It was a green tea that had a pleasant flavor and wasn’t bitter. “This is a nice tea.”

 “The kids sent it to me. They were doing something in China and befriended a farmer. Sent me quite a nice variety of green teas. They’re very sweet kids.” Roger laughed. “But they are quite different. You may just need to learn to believe in magic. It may make dealing with them a bit easier in the beginning. You get past it, the oddity of it all I mean.” Roger explained a bit.

 “When I met him, the one who sent you the letter, I was a bit taken aback by it all. You wouldn’t believe the things we don’t know about the world. I called him Eddy but I’m sure he’s got you calling him something different now. Names don’t mean much to him. It was just him and that little girl. She’s grown up now - and he’s made quite a few friends. I’m happy he has.”

 “You called him Eddy? Did you ever find out what his real name was?” Katherine asked. Roger just laughed at her eagerness.

 “You won’t find much about him, especially not with his new friends. They’re pretty good with the new technology and things. They got me that computer over there after the stroke. Came here and put it all together themselves. All I have to do is talk to it and it’ll do what I want. Isn’t that neat? I can video call my little granddaughter without doing anything. Or watch TV or call for help. No buttons needed - but its got them just incase I wanted them. It’s name is Eva.” Roger explained, motioning to the large flat-screened monitor that sat in a TV stand. It was large enough to pass as a television, but Katherine could see the Processor tucked below in one of the windowed cabinets.

“That’s really impressive. Do they send you gifts often?” Katherine questioned. Perhaps she could intercept his visitors the next time they arrived.

“On my birthday and on the holidays. Sometimes they’ll send random trinkets when they find some they’d think I’d like. They visit sometimes - randomly through the years. It’s like they’re my own family. Don’t worry about rushing to meet them, they’ll get you when it’s time. Eddy’s got a knack for planning.” Roger answered, easily reading into Katherine’s motive.  “Erm. How is your partner? What’s he or she like?” The man’s demeanor changed and his expression became one of concern.

 “He’s … “ Katherine paused to think of how to explain Tony. She didn’t necessarily think him a bad person, simply a very aggravating and annoying one. He was however quite good at his job and Katherine had to give him that.

 “Be honest now. This is very important. I think you’ll do fine with Eddy and his little family. But there’s something your hiding they will know it the moment you meet - if not already.” Roger spoke. His body may have suffered from the stroke, but his mind was sharp: one could see it in his eyes.

 “Honestly he’s a good agent but he’s a bit of an asshole.” Katherine stated. “I don’t think he’s so bad. Just aggravating at times.” She followed up. She felt a little bad for stating her feelings so plainly but also relieved that she’d expressed it to someone. Roger smiled.

 “That felt good to say didn’t it? My partner, Lucy was right old pain in the rear at times, but she was a good agent.” He laughed for a moment. Then he became serious. “But if he’s got any dark secrets or malicious habits you’d be better off taking the case alone. I know its crazy to say it, but Eddy and these kids- they’ve been through a lot. They know trouble when they see it and they don’t react well to it. They aren’t afraid to take justice into their own hands, but they try.” He paused there. Katherine didn’t respond, as it seemed the man had one more thing to add.

 “I wish Lucy had been a bit more open minded. Mind you we were raised in a time where you didn’t act like Eddy. The things he and that little girl could do was the stuff of nightmares. But they just wanted a home, a place to be safe. Our time with them gave them that. I’m sure you’ll see. I wish Lucy had - but I don’t regret a thing I’ve done in life, certainly not helping these kids.” Roger spoke solemnly. “You be good to those kids and they’ll do good back to you. They’re a bit queer but if you earned your placement in the FBI you’ll survive.”

 The conversation about the kids and his mission ended there, but Katherine stayed a bit longer, just asking the man about his day and letting him show off the gifts he’d received from the kids. He seemed really enamored by the computer, but Katherine wasn’t sure if it was his age or the fact the programing really was state of the art. It responded immediately to the man’s voice and effortlessly switched program and processes on command, every so often asking the man to clarify what he wanted. It seemed well tailored to the man. Katherine wasn’t even aware programs of that level existed yet. They spoke about how the agency has changed and how cute his grandchildren were. It wasn’t quite necessary but Katherine felt better just chatting with this man. He really was a great person. When the chocolate was finished and the remaining tea had become cool, Katherine bid the man farewell - making the excuse that they both needed to find their dinners. He wished her good luck and amazingly to her, told her to have fun. She drove home, rather than back to the office, in a good mood. She called Tony on the way to tell him she’d just fill him in tomorrow, since they’d have to wait for contact anyway. She didn’t really give him a chance to complain, hanging up on him quickly. She picked up her favorite takeout on the way home and streamed some comedy movie. And for the first time all week she made it to bed happy, full and on time.