Expansion (The Accidental Heroes Chronicles Book 2)

by S. E. Cyborski

  “You are feeling anger,” Sandra said after holding a hand in front of the woman’s face. The sensation of fires crackling against her skin was unmistakable. Her palm was facing towards the woman, just a few inches away. Showmanship was difficult but Sandra could be as showy as she needed for this to work.

  “Yes, that’s what was on the paper!” the woman exclaimed, holding out the slip of paper so that it could be seen. Sandra grinned at the woman and moved to one of the men. This man had a distinctly disbelieving expression on his face, the slip of paper crumpled up into a little ball in his fist. He’d been intensely careful about not showing the paper to Sandra or anyone else. There was always at least one in an audience like this, one who was there not because he believed. Perhaps he’d been dragged here by a significant other or had brought a child as a treat.

  “This one’s difficult,” Sandra said, playing for the crowd. There were laughs and hisses, accompanied by a few yelling in support. This sensation was one of her favorite really, the feel of metal sliding sleekly along her skin. Sandra liked to imagine it was gold, bright and shining and valuable. “But I believe you are feeling greed.”

  “That’s right,” the man replied in shock, uncrumpling the paper and holding it out. Sandra could see the word greed written in Amy’s distinctive loopy handwriting. “How could you possibly have known that?”

  “It’s part of the act,” Sandra replied, her smile growing a little wider as she drank in the man’s confusion. It was like a blunt object being pushed into her skin and definitely different from anything she’d felt before. She wagged an admonitory finger in front of the man’s face and laughed. “You know a magician never reveals her secrets.”

  “Well, what about me?” the third man asked, staring at her challengingly, his shoulders squared. “What am I feeling?”

  What he was feeling was evident in his body language but Sandra didn’t rely on that. Fingers twitching as if trying to touch something, eyes flicking from her to the crowd and back, and shuffling feet could indicate a few different things. For her first show, Sandra was going to be perfect. There would be no mistakes and why would she keep herself from enjoying the emotions she’d set the others up to feel? Stretching out what she’d come to consider as mental fingers, Sandra combed through his emotions. The empty bubble was quite distinctive, an emotion Sandra had felt quite a few times herself in the last few months. There was a different flavor, though, feeling that emotion in a different person.

  “Impatience,” Sandra finally announced, lowering her palm and flipping it upwards, inviting the man to drop the slip of paper into her hand. He did so and Sandra unfolded it slowly, making sure it was clearly visible. Impatience showed on the paper, again written in Amy’s handwriting. “Excellent job, sir.”

  “Which leaves me,” the final man grinned, fluttering the slip of paper in Sandra’s direction. “You’re three for four, madam magician. Can you make it four for four?”

  While a part of her bristled at the man taking a bit of her thunder, the greater part of Sandra leaped for joy. This was exactly what she wanted, people interacting with her and supporting her as she became the center of attention. This man was playing to the crowd just as much as she was but it was for her benefit. That was intoxicating and Sandra let herself take a little more time with this one. She moved her hand in front of the other man, letting a worried look cross her face. The fourth man crossed his arms over his chest, a slight smile pulling at his lips. This time, the feeling she got from his emotion was like being dunked into cold water. It made goosebumps rise on her skin and Sandra had to hide a small shudder. But that was everything she needed.

  “Fear. You’re feeling fear,” Sandra announced, turning to the audience with a grin. “But what are you afraid of, sir? Spiders, maybe, or lightning?”

  “That would be my secret, madam magician,” the man laughed, bowing slightly in her direction. He held out the piece of paper for Sandra to take and she didn’t even need to read it to know what would be there. “I am completely impressed with your abilities.”

  “Thank you, my brave volunteers,” Sandra gestured towards the four of them so that the audience would clap. There were cheers and yells and the four started to walk off the stage. “Oh, but please, wait my brave volunteers. If you’re willing, Gravitas has another trick up his sleeve. But he needs volunteers to perform it properly.”

  Michael walked back onstage to a rise in cheers and waved gleefully at the audience. He wasn’t carrying anything this time like the first time he’d come out. There were no paper cranes involved in this “trick”. The four stayed on stage, obviously curious as to what Michael was going to do. The only thing anyone had seen him do was levitate the paper cranes and make them dance. What more could this man do?

  Michael, with broad, showy gestures, had the four stand on a piece of fabric a stagehand hurriedly laid out on the ground. It was a deep blue velvet with little silver flecks splashed throughout it. From far away, it looked very much like the night sky. Each volunteer stood an equal distance apart from the other as Michael stepped back. Raising a hand slowly, he changed the gravity around the four people and length of cloth. Everything rose into the air, the cloth touching the people’s feet as if glued there. Frantic clapping accompanied the move as each of the four volunteers wore expressions of wonder mingling with a touch of fear and disbelief. They were being supported by absolutely nothing, by their own eyes, and it made no sense.

  With a mischievous smirk, Michael raised his other hand towards Sandra. Before she could move or signal him to stop, Michael lifted Sandra into the air along with the others. He lofted her towards them, placing her off to the left. After more thunderous applause, and a glare in Michael’s direction from Sandra, he placed everyone back down on the stage as lightly as a feather.

  He and Sandra both took a bow as the volunteers walked off the stage to a standing ovation. This was something different than other magicians did, something new following the lines of an old tradition. Anything new was often snapped up in this town like the people were dying of thirst. Sandra bowed one last time and waved to her audience before walking off the stage. It was time for their final display: Amy and Michael would juggle fireballs back and forth between them. Amy flashed Sandra a grin as they passed in the wings, Amy’s glittery white dress shining in the lights from the stage. They’d all purchased some sort of costume, Amy going with bright and shiny while Sandra had chosen a slinky black dress that clung to each curve. Michael had gone for something in between, wearing black dress pants and a pale blue silk shirt.

  Now that she had relinquished the stage to her minions, Sandra took a moment to collect herself. Sensing so many emotions, drawing in the adulation and wonder of the crowd, was draining after a while. Besides, there was one more thing that Sandra wanted to do. The success they’d enjoyed so far tonight was heady but it would mean nothing if they didn’t continue to enjoy that success.

  When she felt refreshed enough, the headache that had been threatening behind her eyes receding a little, Sandra stretched out her fingers again. This time, she kept her senses broad and flat, stretching out and lightly touching everyone in the audience. While there were far too many to comb through specific emotions, Sandra could and did affect their overall feeling. They were open and receptive already, enjoying the display being put on for them. It was easy to put in a desire for more of the same, a wish to come back and see more magic. The difficult part was pushing enough strength into it to touch each person, at least a little bit. Sandra kept it up as long as she had the strength, gently reminding the audience that they wanted more.

  Curious to see how it had worked, Sandra edged towards the stage and peeked out at the audience. By now, Michael and Amy had moved to juggling the fireballs above their heads in a complicated spiral. Every once in a while, Michael would send a fireball towards the audience but never far enough to put them in any danger. They felt the thrill of a trick possibly going out of control and the heat of the
flames. But Michael pulled it back every time, launching the fireball back towards Amy. There was wonder on every face Sandra could see and, beneath that, a craving that Sandra knew was there because of her. Before tonight, she hadn’t been quite sure her ability would work like it just did, would be able to stretch among that many people. But it appeared to have worked. Time would tell how much, how many people would come back to see them again. But it hopefully would be enough that they would have the cover they needed for Sandra’s other, just as important, plans.

  As Sandra was standing gloating, thrilled that her ideas were finally working, Michael and Amy sped up their juggling until the fireballs looked like they were one string of flame flowing through the air. With an exaggerated flourish, Michael sent the string out over the audience while Amy made it explode into little flashes of light. The light rained down but disappeared before actually touching anyone. Sandra grinned at the display and sighed at the end. It was the perfect ending to a perfect performance. Walking back out on stage, she took Michael’s hand while Amy grabbed his other one. In sync, they bowed to the crowd and lifted their hands above their heads before bowing one last time.

  “And that was the amazing Sin, Gravitas, and Akasha,” their agent said, coming on stage and earning the salary Sandra was paying him. “Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, for coming to see the Triumvirate. Have a good night and we hope to see you again!”

  Sandra, Michael, and Amy waved cheerfully at the audience before hurrying off the stage. Shuffling and footsteps announced that the audience was leaving, an excited babble of voices accompanying it. No matter how she tried, Sandra wasn’t able to pick out individual words. But the emotion flooding from the exiting group was bright with happiness. It was a good omen for her plans later tonight. But first, she would need to rein in Michael and Amy. Their emotions were sharp and spiking, running wild with excitement. Calm and steadiness would need to take over if they were going to play their parts properly.

  “Did you see their faces?” Michael asked excitedly once they were backstage. “They didn’t know whether to believe what they were seeing or not! Everything went perfectly!”

  “It was so much fun, too!” Amy added, grinning widely as she flung her arms out wide and spun in place. “That was the most fun I think I’d ever had! What did you think Sandra? Was it everything you hoped for?”

  “It was and more,” Sandra admitted, allowing a pleased laugh to escape her lips. She wanted to dance and scream for joy, much like Amy was doing. But, there was still more waiting, still more wonderful schemes to finish. “But you know what’s coming. I suggest we all get a few hours rest. I need you both completely focused later.”

  “Yes, yes, we know,” Michael replied, rolling his eyes. There was a flippant tone in his voice, one that Sandra was surprised to hear. There’d been other instances where Michael had seemed to be fighting back against the control she had over his emotions. Though she was tired, Sandra reached out and studied what he was feeling. There was excitement and happiness and still a desire for her. A desire to please her. Yet, again, it was fading slightly. It was lasting a shorter and shorter time and Sandra didn’t quite understand what was happening. The obvious answer was one she didn’t want to contemplate. She needed Michael just as she needed Amy. Having an offensive ability was far too handy and Michael's skill at levitating things was vital to the rest of Sandra’s plans.

  “I am kind of tired after all that,” Amy admitted, oblivious to Sandra’s inner turmoil. She yawned behind a hand and smiled tiredly. “Maybe a nap beforehand is a good idea. Good night, guys.”

  Amy gave Michael a quick hug and nodded at Sandra. The head of their little group kept herself aloof so Amy had gotten closer to Michael while keeping Sandra at a distance. She’d heard quite a bit about Sandra from the smitten man but they’d also had other conversations. Stories from their pasts, from before they’d all been changed had been exchanged quietly, almost reverently. Neither wanted things to return to what they were but it was pleasant to look back and remember a less complicated time. Though Amy always skipped over her memories of George, partially because of Sandra’s work on her emotions and partly because she herself didn’t quite understand why things had fallen as they had. The few times Amy had allowed herself to think about the argument they’d had, it made no sense. The jealousy and anger were a distant thing, almost as if she was feeling it from outside herself. Yet, anytime Amy thought about letting it go and reaching out to George, to apologize or to explain, Sandra’s delicate net on her emotions tightened and raised the anger again.

  “How about we head back to our room and relax?” Michael asked, slinging an arm around Sandra’s waist like he had done earlier. It was one of his favorite ways to touch Sandra and the fact that she was slightly taller was interesting. “We’ve got a few hours before this spectacular theft of yours.”

  “Shush,” Sandra said urgently, looking around automatically to make sure no one had overheard. “Really, Michael, you should watch what you say. This all hinges on no one knowing that we’re stealing things. Who knows who might be back here?”

  “It’s fine, there’s no one here,” Michael laughed, walking with her through the backstage area and towards the hotel proper. There was an elevator near the entrance to the theater that was quite close to their room. He pressed the button and waited, amusing himself by pulling Sandra’s chin down and placing a light kiss on her lips. “Besides, with your ability, wouldn’t you sense anyone nearby?”

  “Not right now,” Sandra admitted, grimacing slightly at the thought. “I stretched my ability to the limit working on the audience. I’d sense someone if they were really close and feeling something strongly. Other than that, I think they’d be quite invisible to me right now. That’s why I suggested resting. Which I actually plan to do, Michael, whatever plans you might have had to the contrary. I need a few hours’ sleep.”

  The elevator dinged and they stepped back to allow an elderly couple and a young woman to step off the elevator. The elderly couple went towards the restaurant while the young woman headed to the casino. Michael and Sandra stepped into the elevator, Sandra pressing the button for their floor. When the doors closed, Michael backed Sandra up against the wall and kissed her lightly, nibbling at her bottom lip. He teased her the whole ride up to their floor, never taking the kiss any deeper than fleeting touches. At another ding, he stepped back and gestured for Sandra to precede him out of the elevator.

  “After you, milady,” Michael said grandly, the grandiose pose ruined by the impish grin that tugged at the corners of his mouth. Sandra rolled her eyes but played along, stepping out and waiting for Michael to take her hand. Once in their room, Sandra stripped quickly out of her slinky dress and changed into a t-shirt and pajama pants. Michael did the same, slipping into a pair of shorts. They settled into the bed and Sandra set an alarm for very early in the morning. Around three am, an hour after the alarm, most people would be far less alert. Especially security guards. Letting Michael kiss her one last time, which Sandra had to admit he was good at, Sandra turned the light out and fell asleep. Her last thought before sleep claimed her was a hope that her ability would be recharged after sleeping. She’d come to rely heavily on it and being without it was oddly terrifying.

  Chapter 6

  The alarm she’d set went off at 2 am, waking Sandra up from a nightmare. But, as she yawned and stretched, the last few wispy images from the nightmare faded away and left her with just a feeling of general uneasiness. Nothing to do with her plan, the theft she, Michael, and Amy were going to carry out. Waking Michael up, Sandra headed into the bathroom for a quick shower. While she dressed, taking special care over her clothing and make-up, Michael took her place in the shower. After all, part of Sandra’s role in the upcoming theft was diversion and most people were easily distracted by a pretty woman. It was a tactic Sandra had used before all this business with Gnotret and one she knew she would use again in the future. Why scruple not to use a weapon that wo
rked so well?

  Following that vein of thought, Sandra slipped into a sleeveless shirt that hugged her curves and tight black pants. The shirt was a pale red, a color that brought out the red highlights in her hair. Finishing her make-up, Sandra applied a lipstick that was just a few shades darker than the shirt. As Michael stepped out of the bathroom, she checked the overall result in the mirror above the dresser. It was perfect, everything she was going for. Sandra smirked at herself as Michael whistled appreciatively. He dressed quicker than she had in a simple, long-sleeved gray shirt and black jeans. Being inconspicuous was important and the dark colors would help Michael blend into shadows and darker areas. Sandra smiled in frank appraisal at Michael as he dressed. Just because he really wasn’t her type didn’t mean she couldn’t enjoy looking at him from time to time.

  They stepped out of their room to see Amy waiting impatiently in the hallway, her arms crossed over her chest and tapping her foot. Like Michael, she was dressed in dark colors: a dark blue long-sleeved shirt and black jeans. She stood up from where she’d been leaning against the wall, hiding a yawn behind her hand.