Chapter 5 (Raven)

I carefully got up from the ground and took a few steps back, extending the distance between me and the boy. I kept my eyes on the stranger for fear that he would turn upon me and hurt me. However, the teenager did not look dangerous. The boy pushed himself up to a sitting position and leaned his back against the tree behind him. We stared at each other for a moment, assessing the opponent. I saw a spark of amusement in his eyes. I decided to break the silence and try to get some information out of the boy.

"Why did you break into my house?" I asked the stranger.

"To leave you a letter." - the boy replied in a tone as if it was the most obvious statement in the world. Before I could ask any more questions, he cut me off.

"I feel we got off to a bad start. Hi. I'm Adrian. - said the boy with a smile extending his hand.

I just looked at him, but didn't get close to the teenager. I still kept my stick at the ready in case the boy tried to distract me and attack me any minute. When I didn't shake his hand, Adrian made a sad face and put his hands into pockets of his hoodie.

"I'm Raven." I replied reluctantly.

"I know. I broke into your house so I know your name." The boy started to get on my nerves.

"How did you know what was going to happen? Letters predict the future, and I'm curious how did you do it." I got fed up with his bullshit and decided to start interrogating him.

"I did't. I don't write this letters. I just a messanger." This information shocked me. I did not think the boy was working for someone. I thought it was more the work of a single psycho than a group of people.

" I works for, let's say, a certain witch. She is a young lady who sees the future and has decided to save others.

"Wait. But then why are you the one breaking into houses and not her?"

"Can I start the story from the beginning? But first, can you just put that stick down? I won't hurt you, I promise." I stared at him for a moment, then decided to throw the stick to the ground. I don't know why but I trusted the boy. And I wanted to know the truth because I was tired of constant questions and unknowns. As I tossed the stick, the boy smiled and visibly relaxed. He got up from the ground and leaned against the nearest tree. After a while he began his story.

"It was two years ago. Back then, I was in not the best company. My friends and I had a gang and we were breaking into other people's houses.

Together with the boys we chose a certain house. We thought no one would be there because we heard that the owners would be at some party. So, after planning the heist, at night we jumped over the fence and ran through the garden. We unlocked the door using passkey and entered the living room. Then we decided to split and ran all over the building as we each searched for loot that would suit us best. I, for example, was looking for jewelry or money. I ran into someone's bedroom and started looking for valuables in the chest of drawers. I was so focused on finding the loot that I didn't notice the girl standing in the doorway. She knew my friends' name and mine. I later found out that she knew who we were because she had a dream about us the day before. She knew exactly what time we would break in and when I would be alone in the room.

Then the witch gave me a choice. She can call the police and tell them who broke into her house. She also may not do that. She offered me a job. Being an experienced burglar made me valuable to her. We made a deal, she writes letters describing what she saw in her dreams, and I deliver them for a sum of money. Sometimes she helps me, but only in exceptional cases. And don't ask who the witch is because she has decided she wants to be anonymous and doesn't want her identity revealed." "Okay, but don't you guys have phones? Jesus Christ, couldn't you write me a text message or an email or something?"

"At first we thought about sending text messages, but we gave up on this idea. In the era of today's technology, we preferred not to risk that the addressee of the letter turned out to be a hacker capable of tracking us.

And that's how I've been breaking into people's houses and dropping off letters for two years now. Different people react differently. Some, like you Raven, ignore the first letter and act only after seeing the effects of the first incident. And some decide that it is better not to risk it and save others as soon as we inform them about the future. It amuses me that no one goes to the police. Although the truth is that no one would believe it." When Adrian finished telling the story, I spoke up.

"Your story has gaps. If your friend can see the future, why doesn't she save these people herself?" At my question, the teenager smiled with amusement.

"The night we met, I asked her the exact same question. Simply put, the future is complicated. The witch divides her visions into two categories. Some events can be prevented by anyone. Then usually either she or I save someone from an accident or death. But sometimes a certain event can be prevented by a specific person. And that's where the role of the letter comes in. Some people have more influence over the future than others. And congratulation, you've just joined their ranks.

"What was in today's letter?" I asked as a wave of anxiety washed over me.

"I do not know. I don't read these letters. Sometimes the witch will tell me what's going on and sometimes she won't." replied the boy "but her dreams are either about terrible accidents or someone's death. So whatever's in that list, it's not good." After his words, I decided it was best to go and read this letter. I started walking towards my house, Adrian keeping pace with me. On the way home, I found out that there are four other people who receive letters besides me: one woman and three men. They all live quite close to each other, which made it easier for Adrian to drop off letters. I was wondering how witch power works. From what the boy said, most accidents were within 50 kilometers radius of the city where we lived. This narrowed the search field because the witch probably lived in the same town as me.

Before I knew it, we were in front of my house. I told Adrian to wait while I left the building and climbed the stairs. I opened the door to my room and walked over to my bed.

I grabbed the envelope, closed my eyes for a moment, and took a deep breath. I was slowly getting used to my new situation. I realized that this is my life now. Talking to Adrian helped me, I wasn't as scared as before. But I knew I had to make it clear to the boy that from now on he has to call me, not break in. I tore open the envelope and took out the small piece of paper. My legs buckled under me as I read the message. Tears welled up in my eyes and I gasped for air. The page slipped from my trembling hands and slid across the ground for a moment, falling under my bed. I sat on the ground crying for several minutes. Soon, however, despair turned into determination. I swore to myself that I wouldn't let the prophecy come true.

I got up off the floor and left the house. Moments later, I was standing in front of the boy.

"When is this supposed to happen?" I asked without further ado.

"Usually prophecies come true the next day." The teenager answered my question, surprised by my rough tone of voice.

"It's not going to happen." I replied with a certain tone. "Do you understand that? I saved Lisa. And I will save my sister too."

"I do not doubt that." Adrian said with a smile. "Do you need my help with this?"

"Yes. Find out how it will happen. Ask the witch what she saw in her dream. I need to know every detail if I am going to prepare for this event."

After my speech, we exchanged phone numbers. Adrian promised that from now on he will only text or call. But i had to admit that regardless of the circumstances, I liked the boy.