Unbeknownst

Waking up

     The first thing Sirus felt was a pounding ache in his skull. The pain made his mind dull and fuzzy. He groaned, wishing he didn't have to wake up for school. Maybe his mother would let him skip since his head hurt. Instantly Sirus jolted up. His mother! The doppelganger. How could he forget? He looked around, trying to figure out where he was. A dull, flat voice echoed through the air.

     "Well, look who's awake." It was a man's voice. He stood tall, with a straight posture. Sirus couldn't find it in him to respond, however, and he continued taking in his environment. The walls were made of a thick gray stone, lit by a single dull bulb. The buzzing noises that emanated from it worsened the feelings in his head.  He, however, was seated on a pure white bed. Bars were between him and the man who spoke seconds earlier. He supposed the man was a guard. A panic started to grow once again in Sirus. He had no clue what he was doing here. 

     "Where... where am I?" Sirus asked. The guard ignored him, however, choosing instead to mumble something into what looked like an earpiece. Sirus wasn't having it, "Tell me where I am! What am I doing here?" The ache in his head wasn't making it any easier to fight his panic. 

     The guard turned around to face him, "All will be explained soon. For now, can you wait patiently? I'm sure your head aches something awful anyways." He said this all in that same dull, flat voice. Like he had no emotion and not a single care in the world. This worried Sirus more, but he could see he wasn't going to get any answers. Instead, he laid back down, vowing to figure out what this was and to escape it as soon as possible. Whatever this was, it wasn't good.

     "Yeah, okay," He managed to mutter back. The pain was really taking its toll. In fact, it seemed to be getting worse. He closed his eyes, hoping that he could find some relief. When that didn't work, he resigned himself to laying there, waiting. It wasn't like thinking was much of an option at the moment.

     Time passed slowly, every minute feeling like an hour. How was he to know though, it wasn't like there was a clock in here. Eventually, footsteps sounded from a ways away. The bed creaked lightly as Sirus sat up. He didn't want to be caught unaware by any means. "Hello?" His voice echoed through the distance. The guard turned towards him momentarily. Seemingly not disturbed by his outburst, the guard went back to leaning against the wall, just watching into the distant hallway. Well, that went well, Sirus thought. He once again resigned himself to waiting silently. He didn't know what else to do.

     Soon enough, another man appeared around the corner. He was a short, bulky figure. The sound of his thudding steps grew louder in Sirus' ears, as did the apprehension in his core. What could this man possibly want with him, and how did it connect with the doppelganger? He supposed he would find out soon enough. So, he just watched the somewhat corpulent man approach. 

      When the man spoke he sounded gruff and almost impossibly pleasant. Almost, as the undertone of his voice gave off a subtle vibe of sadism. He enjoyed what Sirus was going through. "Hello Sirus," he said. Sirus wondered how he knew his name. Then again, if this was the same person who sent the doppelganger into his life, it should be no surprise. "From this point forward, I am your new Father. I'm sure you are wondering what you're doing here, and rightly so. You see, you have the aptitude of a person capable of magic. This here, is a school just for those kinds of people. We want to see you grow, and ultimately, give you a job working for us." He spoke like he was used to getting his way. This unsettled Sirus even more. "My name is Jake, although you will refer to me as headmaster. Are we clear?"

     Sirus knew well enough he had to play along for now, but that didn't stop the questions from pouring out of him. He nodded his head, "Yes. Can you tell me what happened with my mother? Why am I here? What do you mean I am capable of magic?"