Mdachi peered through the glass and saw the vermilion red Range Rover swerve onto the road and drive away.
"Phew! She's gone," he breathed in relief, walking over to the couch. "I almost thought she'd never leave. Now I can finally breathe."
He flopped onto the sofa with a dramatic sigh, eyes fixed on the ceiling.
Edward, barely lifting his eyes from his phone, almost glared at him before returning to his screen, fingers tapping rapidly.
Mdachi, feeling the chilly silence, glanced at Edward and grimaced. Something was off. Edward wasn't the type to ignore someone just because he was on his phone.
"Hey, whatcha doing?" Mdachi finally asked, his voice slicing through the quiet—half-curious, half-playful.
He sat upright, waiting for a reply.
Nothing.
Edward stayed locked to his phone like he hadn't heard a thing.
Feeling a bit annoyed now, Mdachi cleared his throat loudly. "A-hem! A-hem!?"
"What, Dachi?!" Edward snapped. "What do you want me to say, huh? That 'Oh, I'm glad too,' or, 'Yeah, good riddance—I also feel weird around her for no logical reason'? Is that what you wanted to hear? Or did you just want me to scold you?"
Mdachi blinked at him, caught completely off guard. His tongue tripped on itself. For a moment, silence thickened the room again.
"Okaaay... so you're broody now," Mdachi muttered, settling back. "Didn't see that coming—not today. But you know what I did expect…" He let the pause hang. Edward tried not to react, but the itch of curiosity got to him. "I expected you to tell me that it's not right to be that way toward Jenevive. So tell me, Edu, what's so wrong with trying to strike up a conversation with my friend?"
Mdachi rested both arms on the backrest, his face unreadable.
Guilt pinched Edward's chest. It wasn't Mdachi's fault that his life was falling apart. He didn't deserve the blow-up. He chose to be here—to help. He could've walked away.
"I'm—" Edward began.
"Save it," Mdachi cut in casually, lifting a hand. "Let's not get all apologetic and emotional now. I don't do sentiment over small stuff."
"Sure, man," Edward said with a faint smile.
"'Sure, man' what?" Anita's voice broke in as she walked into the room holding a notebook. Her brows lifted with curiosity. "What are you two whispering about?"
"Stop being a yenta," Mdachi teased, eyes following her from the corner of the couch.
"Oh, okay," she said, flopping down next to him in her now-comfy home clothes. "Don't tell me, then. I didn't even want to know."
"What's that?" Edward nodded toward the notebook.
"Ugh. Another witchy book," Mdachi groaned. "I've had enough of that today."
Anita smacked him on the back of the head with the notebook.
"Ow!" Mdachi winced.
"This is my mom's notebook, Edward," she said calmly, as if nothing had happened. Mdachi rubbed the back of his head, pouting.
"She records important stuff in here. I just want to take a peek."
"I'm guessing it's not exactly an all-hands-on-deck kind of book?" Edward asked cautiously.
"Oh, relax. What harm could it do?" Anita said nonchalantly.
"Anita…" Edward squinted at her.
"What? It's not like she tells us everything. So why not find out ourselves?"
"She's right, Edu," Mdachi agreed.
Edward gave him a really? kind of look.
"I guess that's why you stopped me from telling her about the sigil on the grimoire—and what happened when I saw it?" he said, folding his arms and raising a brow.
"Ding, ding!" Anita replied without hesitation.
Edward blinked. He'd been sarcastic. That answer startled him.
It genuinely puzzled—and slightly irritated—him. Why wouldn't Anita want her mom involved? Jenevive was the only adult they could trust with something like this.
"Okay…" Anita said slowly, sensing his confusion. "As I suspected, my mom still has ties with BAJIMSA."
Both boys frowned.
"Baj... what now?" Mdachi asked, confused.
"Yeah. What he said," Edward added.
"BAJIMSA," Anita repeated. "Bureau for the Apprehension and Justice of Interdimensional and Magical Supernatural Affairs."
Silence.
"Come again?" Mdachi looked completely lost.
"It's basically a bureau that deals with extranatural stuff," Anita explained, pointing to the window. "Let's say something supernatural happens right out there, and normal humans see it—they handle the mess. Clean it up. Wipe memories. Cover it up."
Mdachi squinted like his brain couldn't process the concept. "You're kidding…"
Edward just stared, stunned.
"I... I didn't know something like that existed," he said quietly.
"You're telling me?!" Mdachi exclaimed.
"He wasn't talking to you," Anita said flatly.
Mdachi shut up.
Turning back to Edward, Anita continued, "Well, you don't usually know about such things when you're just some ordinary person living an ordinary life."
"Then how do you know about it?" Edward asked.
"Tsk-tsk. First of all, I'm not ordinary—remember?" She smirked. "Just because I live like it doesn't mean I am. And besides, my family embraces our identity. It's impossible not to know stuff like this."
She tapped the notebook. "My mom used to work for the bureau. When she said she was investigating, I think she meant she was getting intel from BAJIMSA. That's how she knew about Hallington."
Edward took a few seconds to process.
"So… they erase memories?"
"Not like that," Anita said quickly, catching his line of thought. "They didn't erase your memories. That's not how they work. They only step in when there's been an obvious exposure of the supernatural to the public. Your case is different—my mom already told you someone else erased yours. After all, you're not ordinary, Edu. You're a warlock. And your situation… is still a mystery, or so it seems."
"If someone had told me a week ago that we'd be having this conversation, I'd have called them a deranged and demented holler monkey," Mdachi muttered.
Anita let out a small amused breath. Even she saw how far they'd come—especially Edward.
"What do you mean, 'my situation is still a mystery, or so it seems'?" Edward asked, sliding a bit closer to her. "Does your mom know something? Is it in there?" His eyes flicked between Anita and the notebook as he reached for it—hesitantly, but hopeful.
Anita pulled the book away from Edward's reach.
"You can't have it," she said firmly.
But after seeing the disappointed scrunch of Edward's face, she cracked a smirk and handed it to him.
"Just kidding. Here, have a look."
Mdachi stretched his neck, trying to peer into the pages. He, too, was curious. Anita noticed and switched seats with him so he could see better.
After a while of watching the boys flip through the notebook with matching frowns, Mdachi looked up at Anita with a helpless grimace.
"We can barely make sense of this," he complained. "It's full of jargon, weird codes, and scribbled design stuff. I mean, is this even English?"
"I figured," Anita said playfully, reaching for the book. Edward passed it to her without protest.
"Then will you do the honours?" he asked.
"Gladly."
She flipped it open to a marked page. "And to answer your earlier question, Edu—BAJIMSA is the one investigating Hallington's death. And yes... he was murdered by a werewolf. But that's not all. Hallington didn't just die—he fought."
"What do you mean?" Edward straightened, his tone shifting to one of serious focus.
Mdachi leaned in.
Anita continued, "Their report mentions signs of a fierce struggle inside the house. Hallington fought for his life. The damage was so bad the whole place is under renovation."
Edward scoffed. "How could an ordinary man fight a full-blown werewolf? And on a full moon no less—that's when they're at their most powerful."
Anita paused, then asked gently, "Did you ever consider that maybe... Hallington wasn't ordinary?"
The thought hit Edward like a brick. He looked down, silent, staring into nothing. Things started to seem to get only weirder and cryptic as he went along. So Hallington was possibly a supernatural too? Oh God!
Mdachi glanced between the two, trying to grasp the weight of the moment. Then he turned to Anita.
"So how does this BAJIMSA even work? Aren't there police and government people assigned to cases like this? Do they collab? Or wipe their memories too?"
Anita sighed. "I've said this before and I'll say it again—they don't just erase memories randomly. How they do their investigations, I don't really know. They have their own subtle methods."
Mdachi grumbled under his breath. "So much for clarity…"
He perked up again. "Do you know anything else about Hallington's case? Like... does Madam Beatrice's name show up anywhere in there?"
Edward looked up too.
Anita shook her head. "No, not directly. Just what I told you. The case itself is proving difficult, even for them."
She turned to Edward, her voice low but clear.
"That's why I stopped you from telling my mom everything that happened with you in the office. With BAJIMSA, information flows both ways—if they give, they expect to receive. If my mom hands over the right bits of info, they'll dig deeper, piece together the connections... and take over completely. We'll be shut out. You'll never find the full truth."
Edward's chest tightened. That truth was something he needed. Something bigger than just Hallington's death.
Mdachi turned to him. "So... what really happened in there? You zoned out. Went all trance-like. What was that?"
Anita leaned in as well.
Edward hesitated. "I don't know how to explain it. The moment I saw that symbol... it was like a trigger. One minute I was there, the next—I was staring at a hut wall with the same mark. Just like in my dream."
"Dream?" Mdachi blinked.
Edward rubbed the back of his head. "It's hazy now, but that symbol—I saw it in a dream. I remember it clearly."
Anita's eyes widened. "You dreamt about the Kilinge Circle's sigil?"
Edward's eyes sharpened. "You knew what it was? All this time? Anita, I was going nuts trying to search it online. I even asked ChatGPT!"
"Hey!" she raised her hands. "Don't make it sound like I withheld anything. I just didn't think it was the right moment for a witch clan history lesson. And besides—yes, I know the Kilinge Circle. They're one of the most prominent witchclans out there."
Edward exhaled heavily.
"But," Anita continued, "you were wasting your time with all that Googling. Stuff like this? You won't find it on the internet. The odds of that happening are one grain of rice in a whole sack. If you want, I could tell you anything you need to know."
"Thanks, but it's no really necessary, Anita," Edward said trying to down play the weight of his dream. He had more to think about than to obsess about some dream. "Am sure it's just meaningless. No need for alarm."
Anita let it go. She didn't want to pressure him. Bit if the issue ever emerged again, they would tackle it. For now, she too hoped it was but a meaningless dream, but she knew far too well the odds of that.
Mdachi grinned. "So all that crankiness earlier was just Edu being mad at the internet?"
Edward ignored him. "What about Beatrice? What if she's behind this? How do we find out the truth? How do we even face her?"
Mdachi shivered. "That lady creeps me out."
"For now we take a break just like my mom told us to," Anita said as she stood and walked toward the kitchen.
"But you are the same person who said BAJIMSA is still investigating. What if they solve the case before we do—and bury the truth?" Edward asked, now turning to face her from the couch.
"I have faith they won't," she said confidently, opening the fridge. "And besides—when it comes to confronting Beatrice, you'll need to be atleast ready when we finally do that."
She pulled out a one-litre juice box and poured three glasses. "If you're not prepared, she could turn you to dust in seconds. She's powerful."
"But so am I," Edward muttered.
"You're not trained, Edward," she replied, putting the juice back in the fridge. "You need to get stronger."
Both boys got up to help with the glasses, but Edward sat back down while Mdachi walked over.
"She's right, you know," Mdachi said. "This isn't a cartoon witch. She's real. If she is behind Hallington's death, maybe she spared you by erasing your memories instead of killing you too. You need to plan before facing her."
He returned with two glasses and handed one to Edward.
"I can't believe I just said that like it's a casual Tuesday," Mdachi muttered.
"Almost forgot!" Anita said suddenly, spotting two full grocery bags in the kitchen. She walked over, placed her glass on the counter, and pulled out a small plastic container.
She brought it over and set it on the coffee table in front of Edward.
"There. Mchawi Majani, just like Mom promised."
Edward looked at the container uneasily. That leaf would tell him the truth—whether his parents had magical abilities or not.
Anita noticed. She gently placed the container on the nearby lampstand.
"You don't have to take it today," she said softly. "Or ever... if you change your mind, that is."
"Don't feel bad," Edward reassured, rubbing her shoulder. "I'll take them, but not use them yet... just not yet."
Mdachi cleared his throat. "So now what? Dig through more of your mom's secret books? I ask more about BAJIMSA? or; Remind ourselves of how scary it was when Madam Beatrice almost busted us?"
"No. We don't do any of that," Anita said. "We learn magic."
Both boys raised an eyebrow.
"But how? We don't even have a grimoire. Or do you have Two hidden somewhere?" Edward asked.
"I am the second grimoire," Anita said, tapping her temple.
Mdachi leaned back in delight. "Now this I'm ready for. Real magic lessons. Bring it on!"
"But seriously—how are we doing this?" Edward asked. "No spells, no book?... Wait... you don't mean that..."
"Relax. I won't do magic. But I can still teach you," Anita said.
Edward nodded in relief. "Okay then, teach. What's the first lesson?"
Mdachi leaned forward, invested.
Anita held up her half-full glass of juice. "Turn this colourless."
Edward blinked. "That's it?"
"Trust me," she smirked. "It'll come in handy when you want to turn invisible. Or turn someone invisible."
Edward straightened his posture, ready.
"Now repeat after me…"
Mdachi rubbed his hands gleefully.
"Oh, this is gonna be good."