An Attic filled with Birds [Completed]

19. Permission denied

Felix
We left early Saturday morning. Nora has the weekend off anyway, so we have the time to look around for one of the last magic users.

The day after we decided to look for one, Nora came home with three addresses. Yesterday we rented a car, and now we're almost at the second address.

The first was the home of a family of five. I rang the doorbell with Damien and Nora behind me. When the father of the house opened, he was carrying a child in his arm, and one on his shoulders with her legs wrapped around his neck. From inside the house came yelling, and something fell on the ground and broke.

He wasn't in the best of moods.

We decided to not even ask him about it.

The navigation says we're five minutes away from our destination. From what I can see, this is already a more likely place for a magic user to live. That is, if they need to be kept from the rest of society as best as possible.

We're driving along the edge of a forest. Not many cars are on the road, even though it's already past ten in the morning.

Then, when we arrive, we know for sure. We turn left and enter a private road. It starts with signs next to it saying things like 'private property' and 'keep out'. We keep going. Asphalt turns into pebbles, and before we know it there's and iron gate connected to a fence that goes on in both directions. Two men stand in front of it.

One of them comes towards us, and motions Nora to step out of the vehicle. She closes the door behind us. When the two start talking, Damien and I can't hear them.

'Can you read their lips?' I ask him.

'No. You?'

'No.'

'I think we're at the right place, though. It's all very secretive,' he continues. 'Do you know anything about this?'

'I know as much as you do. Maybe even less.'

'Bummer. I was hoping you were aware of some secrets or something. Being a part of the royal family and such.'

'I know some stuff, but not about this.'

We keep observing Nora and the guard through the front of the car. I sit in the back, next to tinted glasses. That way, people won't immediately spot me. I try to bend forward subtly, so the guard doesn't spot me.

I see him shrug and throw his hands in the air, as if to say 'sorry, can't help you'. Nora nods, and turns around. The guard walks back to his place.

Nora steps back into the car. As soon as she closes the door behind her she speaks.

'Sexist asshole.'

I suppress a laugh.

'What happened?' Damien asks.

'We need permission from the king or king to be in order for them to even consider letting us in.'

'Oh.'

'Why the sexist asshole comment?' I ask.

'He said I probably won't be able to seduce them to give me permission and the filled-in form.'

She glares at the guards in front of the gate.

'As if I couldn't,' she scoffed.

Now my laugh does come out.

'What?' she asks.

'I'm sorry,' I say. 'I just think it's funny this is something you get worked up about.'

'I'm just a little offended. I'm still very attractive and fit for my age. I would just need to dye my hair. Right, Damien?'

'What?'