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doors.
     
    “I don’t know.” Eli said, not helping at all.
     
    “Well I don’t want to open the wrong one; the person might kick us out of the theatre.” The doors had nothing remarkable on them, only these tacky gold stars stuck to the front of them. I stopped examining the doors, hearing footsteps coming from around the corner. They were getting louder and louder.
     
    “Someone’s coming.” I said in a hushed voice.
     
    “Screw it.” Eli barrelled up to the middle door and turned the handle. Swiftly he barged into the dressing room, the door slamming behind him. I heard a muddled thrashing about. Worried about Eli and the mysterious footsteps from around the corner, I grabbed the handle and pushed my way in.
     
    I was greeted with the sight of Eli pinned up against the wall by Roko, one hand around his throat and another holding onto a sheathed knife she had on her belt.
     
    “Roko, be nice.” I looked around to see Farro sitting on a chair besides a full sized mirror. It looked odd in the room it was so large compared to the room’s small size.
     
    “Let him go.” I growled specifically at Farro, as if ordering him to control his pet.
     
    “Roko, they’re welcome here, let him go.” Farro said whilst puffing on a wooden pipe. Roko reluctantly bowed her head and stepped back from Eli, unpinning him from the wall. He fiddled with his jumper and in an instant joined me at my side. “Sit down; we have much to talk about.” Farro said, pointing his pipe at the two chairs in front of us. The room was lit with candles which made the room flicker. I looked back to see the light switch missing from the wall, just an open socket revealing the innards of the wall. The room was painted red, the candle light on the crimson walls giving the entire room a very warm and safe atmosphere. Trying to throw me off the scent I wondered? It reminded me of the night’s dad and I would sit and watch telly with the fireplace lit with bright orange flames invading the room. Without warning the smell of burning coal and smoke filled my nostrils. I’m sat with my dad, except he’s not actually there. His body is bloody and broken.
     
    I shook my head, erasing the image of the accident before it took control over me, like a cancer slowly but inevitably destroying my mind.
     
    “I knew you would come see me eventually, Atlas.” Farro said.
     
    “I’m here because of my father.” I said, raising my voice slightly.
     
    “I know, Pierce will be deeply missed.” Farro said pursing his lips. He looked genuine.
     
    “You don’t get to speak about him.” I cried gritting my teeth. Farro put down his pipe and sighed.
     
    “I knew Pierce for a very long time, Atlas.” He said, the words reluctantly coming from his mouth. I paused and looked at him intently, desperately trying to read something into his moulded face.
     
    “How long have you two been doing this magic duo then?” I asked. Farro looked confused, no doubt, wondering how I knew about the whole secret life thing.
     
    “We weren’t a magic duo. He was a dear friend of mine.” He said, raising a wry smile.
     
    “Why did you come to my house, the night he died?” I asked him, the question taking him off guard.
     
    “I was trying to warn him.” He said, getting frustrated at the accusation woven into the question.
     
    “Warn him from what? You and Mister Cloud toured crappy theatres and did parlour tricks, what was there to run from?” Eli said.
     
    “No.” Farro asserted. 
     
    “He was a businessman; he worked with paper for Christ sake.”
     
    “No he wasn’t.” Farro said, again his voice bouncing off the walls.
     
    “Then what was he?” I questioned, the desire for an answer obvious in my voice. Farro was about to shout the answer back at me but he refrained, holding his tongue, sinking back into his chair.
     
    “He was a magician, like me.” He said. “There are some people in this world and the next who can use magic.