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Like all my clients before this one, they'd returned to their family healthy and happy. I'd brushed off praise bashfully, with a small grin and a shrug. As usual, I'd neglected to tell them how I'd did it; A magician never tells their secrets.
Still, I'd walked home from my small pharmacy happily that evening. I'd saved another life, a young Mexican boy had gotten caught up in gang activity and had nearly lost his life. He'd have died if his family chose to send him to the hospital, instead choosing a lowly pharmacy in a shady neighbourhood.
Working in Dorado wasn't all that bad, with nice kids and families roaming in the mornings. The night was bearable, that is when you were safe at home. The streets were always heavy with gang activity, and I watched each dark corner cautiously as I walked. I was a well-known face, and after leaving three grown men unconscious with concussions one night, I was known to be left alone. It didn't hurt to be aware of your surroundings, though.
I'd seen a young man peek out from an alley, his dark eyes roaming up and down my features curiously. I watched him back, not an ounce of fear present. Finally, he'd recognized my face, scuttling back down the alley noisily and quickly after emitting a sharp gasp.
The streets had been particularly bare that night, besides the one man I'd sent running. The only other being I'd seen was one perched atop a building. They were hidden in shadows, but their crouched form was still prominent to my vision.
Of course, continuing to walk back home was no issue. I was still aware that the person hopped from roof to roof, having followed me relentlessly as I took my time. I walked normally until I'd reached the street of my apartment complex, growing tired of the pointless chase. I stopped underneath the light of a street lamp, looking up at the building they were perched on. Instead, I witnessed them blend into the floor of the building, not getting back up.
I sighed, looking up as I tapped my foot on the ground impatiently. "I know you're lying down," I called up, "I saw you, you know? You can't even try to hide if I already know where you are."
There was a prolonged silence received from the anonymous figure, whereas I'd kept my head inclined, attentive to catch sight of some sort of movement. Finally, they'd spoken in a velvety masculine voice as they rose, like liquid forming a solid shadowed figure. "(Your full name)," He'd said easily, "I know of your work."
There was only a nod earned from me, "That isn't uncommon around these parts," I told him, "Especially in the medical field. I'm pretty open about my name as well, you'll find it easily in the pharmacy I work at, probably have a diploma up, can't remember if that's in my office or in the lobby."
The figure disappeared, a thin trail of smoke cascading down the wall of the building before me. I stepped back in alarm, too shocked to let out any enunciation of fear. The figure appeared in front of me quickly, their eyes hidden behind their menacing white mask.
