Now You See Me

by Debbie Viguié

  They finally made it to her house and she found it significant that he didn’t try climbing the stairs with her. At the door she turned around. “Are you sure you don’t need to go to a hospital?”

  “Trust me, that’s the last thing I need. I’ll be right as rain come morning,” he said with a pained smile.

  You better be, she thought as she went inside and locked the door behind her.

  She hurried upstairs to her bedroom where she found Midnight still in the window seat. She looked down at the street and watched Mal limp to the corner. He stopped there for a minute and she thought she saw the tiniest sparks of blue lightning. Finally he turned and limped back down the street toward his house. On that corner he stopped as well and this time she knew she saw tiny sparks of the blue lightning that she associated with him and his magic.

  When at last she saw him go into his house she breathed a sigh of relief. He should be safe until morning. She just wished she could find a way to keep him safe forever.

  Mal looked much better the next morning when she met him outside her house. He gave her his normal, confident smile and he seemed like a new man compared to the injured one who had walked her home.

  “You seem much better,” she told him.

  “I feel much better.”

  They started walking. When they reached the corner she glanced around, trying to see if she could detect anything different.

  “You set wards here last night?” she asked.

  “Yup.”

  “I watched you last night until you made it back into your house,” she admitted.

  “I know. I could feel you watching me,” he said with a smile.

  “Last night the other guy had green lightning. Not everyone has blue lightning I guess?”

  Mal shook his head. “The color of the lightning, the electrical energy that we can put out, is dictated by our eye color. If you notice, the eyes are the first place and the last place the lightning appears.”

  “I have noticed that. So, there can’t be that many colors then?”

  “Yes, and no, shade is reflected, too. Mine is bright blue to match my eyes. Others can have more of a pale, watery blue or even a grayish tint to match their eyes. The variations may be subtle, but they’re there.”

  They walked most of the rest of the way in silence, occasionally chatting about nothing in particular. When they came near the tree whose roots had tripped her the morning before Opal gave it a wide berth even though Mal was beside her. He noticed, but didn’t comment.

  The next few days were blessedly uneventful which surprised Opal. She was relieved, though, and by the time Friday had rolled around she had even begun to relax. She was starting to get into a groove with her new classes and friends and it was nice to go a couple of days without any kind of crisis. She wasn’t sure if Mal’s warding was what was giving her some peace. Whatever the reason, she was grateful.

  After he dropped her at her house Friday after school she immediately began preparing for their night out at the theater. She did her makeup and her aunt helped her put her hair up which made her look older. Opal liked the look and once she had the purple velvet gown on she admired herself in the mirror.

  “You look all grown up,” Tanya said, sounding somewhat wistful.

  It only took Opal a second to realize that Tanya was looking more at the dress than her.

  “You miss my mom, don’t you?” she asked, the words spilling out of her.

  “Every day. It’s funny sometimes if I close my eyes I can almost convince myself that she’s here.”

  “Thank you for letting me wear the dress.”

  “It was hers. Now it’s yours,” Tanya said matter-of-factly.

  “I actually don’t have a lot of hers,” Opal admitted.

  Having a conversation about her mother was not what she had expected to be doing right before Mal picked her up for their big evening.

  Tanya frowned. “I’ll have to see what I can find. I might have some things you’d like to have.”

  “I’d appreciate that,” Opal said, hoping she didn’t start to cry and have her mascara run.

  The doorbell rang, jolting both of them out of the pensive mood they were slipping into.

  “Prince Charming awaits. Shall I go let him in so you can make the grand entrance down the stairs?” Tanya asked with a grin.

  “That would be fantastic,” Opal said.

  Tanya headed downstairs. Opal listened as she opened the door for Mal and invited him in.

  “You look very handsome,” her aunt complimented him.

  “Thank you. Is Opal ready?”

  “I believe so. Opal, a gentleman is here to see you,” she called.

  Opal left her bedroom and moved to the top of the stairs. She grasped the handrail and descended slowly, stepping carefully in her heels. She smiled as she saw Mal. He did, indeed, look dashing in a black suit.

  “Wow!” he said when she was halfway down the stairs.

  She felt her grin broaden. Her aunt had been right about making an entrance. She made it to the bottom safely and Mal’s eyes swept over her appreciatively.

  “You look amazing.”

  “Thank you, so do you,” she said.

  He offered her his arm and she took it. She gave Tanya a little wave and then they were out the door and down the stairs to his car. He held the door open for her and then closed it after she got in.

  “You are a vision,” he said.

  She couldn’t stop grinning. “I’m glad you think so,” she said.

  “Every man at the theater tonight is going to be staring at you instead of the stage.”

  “That’s all well and fine, but there’s only one I want to hold spellbound,” she said.

  “And you’ve already accomplished that nicely.”

  “I was talking about Caleb Grey, not you,” she teased.

  “I’m sure he’ll see you from the stage and instantly try to steal you away.”

  “You’ll just have to fight to keep me then.”

  “He won’t know what hit him,” Mal vowed.

  They fell silent for a couple of minutes while Mal made it onto the freeway and headed for Boston.

  “So, you’re going to be watching his every move tonight, right?”

  “To make sure he doesn’t try to steal you, absolutely.”

  “No,” she laughed, “I meant so that you could steal some of his tricks.”

  “I prefer to use the term ‘borrowed’. I’ll have a lot of practicing to do in the next few weeks, that’s for sure.”

  “I know you practice the stage magic, but I remember you saying that in order to advance to the next level and become a Sorcerer you have to invent or rediscover lost magic.”

  “That’s true.”

  “Is that what you work on so hard?”

  “Partly. Partly I’m practicing, honing my skills, and partly I’m working on that.”

  “What is it you’re trying to invent or discover?”

  He took a deep breath. “I haven’t told anyone that, not even my dad.”

  She turned and stared at him. “Does that mean you’re not going to tell me?”

  He laughed quietly. “No, it means that I expect you to appreciate it when I do.”

  “Done.”

  “Okay, I’m trying to learn how to freeze time.”

  “You mean make things go slower or you faster?” she asked.

  “No, more like actually freeze everything around me so that time isn’t passing, that I’m actually outside of time, living between the seconds.”

  “Wow, that would be intense. What would you use that for?”

  “What couldn’t you use it for? You could make good moments last longer, avert accidents that you couldn’t otherwise avert, or just generally cause mischief,” he finished with a grin.

  “Have you had any success?”

  “Not really. I mean, I’ve come close a couple of times, but all I’ve really managed is to slow time.”

  “
When I fell off the stage and you caught me,” she realized.

  “Very good. Yes, that was one of them.”

  “Thank you.”

  They spent the rest of the drive talking about some of the stage magicians Mal had seen before and what he’d learned from each of them. Opal found herself getting more excited for the show as she listened to him talk. When they finally made it to the performing arts center he again opened the car door for her and gave her his arm.

  They walked inside and an usher helped them find their seats. The theater was larger than she had expected and she looked around, feeling the excitement of the place. Most of the other patrons were very well dressed so she was glad she was wearing what she was.

  They finally reached their seats and sat down. Mal had gotten them excellent seats. They weren’t right up against the stage. They were about ten rows back, just far enough so they could watch the whole stage at once and yet still be close enough that she could see the expressions on the faces of the performers.

  “Perfect timing,” she told Mal as she realized they had about ten minutes before the performance was going to begin.

  “Thanks. I would have liked to have been here a little earlier, but you saw the traffic.”

  “Isn’t there something you can do about that?” she asked, arching an eyebrow.

  “Now that would be the best magic of all,” he said with a laugh.

  Five minutes later the lights dimmed briefly.

  “That’s the warning that the performance is about to begin,” Mal told her.

  “Thanks. You know, I grew up in Los Angeles but dad never really took me to see any plays or shows.”

  “Ah, we’ll have to change that,” he said. He turned to look at her. “You know what I was thinking? There’s a traveling production of-”

  Mal broke off mid-sentence. His nostrils flared, his eyes went wide, and for a second she thought she saw lightning starting up in the middle of them.

  “Mal, what’s wrong?” she asked, panicking.

  He nodded toward the far side of the stage where a man was standing surveying the crowd.

  “Who is that?” she asked.

  “The man that attacked me in the cemetery,” Mal growled.

  23

  Opal took another look. The man was tall with light colored hair. She couldn’t see his eyes but knew that they had to be green since that was the color of the lightning he summoned from within himself.

  Next to her she felt Mal making a move to stand up. She put a hand on his arm.

  “You can’t do anything here,” she said quietly.

  As if echoing her sentiment the man standing next to the stage shook his head slightly, keeping his eyes fixed on Mal the whole time.

  She felt Mal sink back down into his chair.

  “What is he doing here?”

  “If I had to hazard a guess he either works for the theater or for Caleb Grey,” Mal said.

  “Doing what?”

  “He could be monitoring the crowd or even looking it over for potential volunteers for the show. We’ll find out soon enough.”

  Opal felt like her heart was in her throat. “What can you do? Even after the show there will be a ton of people around.”

  “True. I guess both of us will have to play nice,” he said through gritted teeth.

  The lights began to dim and it was with effort that Opal tore her eyes away from the man who had attacked Mal. The lights went almost all the way down until only a faint glow was visible at the edges of the theater. The red curtain remained drawn across the front of the stage.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to an evening of wonder such as you have never experienced before,” a voice boomed throughout the building. “Prepare yourselves for what is before you because you will leave this building tonight transformed by the amazing things you have seen. Your guide on this journey tonight, the one, the only, Caleb Grey!”

  The audience exploded into applause and a second later Caleb Grey appeared out of thin air, standing right in front of the curtain. The crowd went wild and he bowed as the curtain parted behind him to show a clear glass chamber filled with water and three women walking around it wearing skimpy black outfits covered in sequins.

  He teleported, was her first thought. She quickly dismissed it. There had been no hint of lightning. Then again, she assumed that everyone who teleported used the lightning. That might not be true. She turned to look at Mal who had seemingly been able to forget the presence of his enemy and was grinning from ear to ear as he watched Caleb.

  For the next two hours Opal watched, amazed, as Caleb brought to life seeming miracles. She watched the way he moved, trying to see what about the man gave him the charisma that was holding an entire audience, her included, enraptured.

  She glanced several times at Mal who was clearly enjoying every moment. Once she looked over to where the other man had been standing near the stage, but he was gone. She just hoped he wouldn’t be showing back up. Still as she was astonished by all the illusions her concerns slipped away. It was as if Caleb Grey really did have the ability to transport his audiences to another place, to strip away the cares of their daily life, and to reintroduce them to the wonder they had known as children.

  When it was finally over she surged to her feet with everyone else to give the man a standing ovation. Mal was right beside her, his applause deafening.

  “I don’t know how he did any of that,” she marveled.

  “I caught about half of it, I’d just have to guess at the rest,” he said, admiration in his voice.

  She looked around at the enthused crowd and suddenly understood why Mal wanted to perform for people. For a couple of hours they had forgotten their cares as the illusionist on stage had thrilled and bewildered them.

  People finally began filing out of their rows. After a minute Mal took her hand and led her toward the stage. She glanced around uneasily, wondering if the Trickster had reappeared. She didn’t see him.

  “Where are we going?” she asked.

  “To ask the stage manager if we could meet Caleb,” he said.

  “Do they let people do that?”

  “Occasionally. I’m hoping that my career aspirations will get us some sympathy,” he said.

  A moment later they were standing at the edge of the stage. Almost a minute passed and the crowds continued to thin. Then, a woman dressed in black from head to toe emerged from the right side of the curtain.

  She crouched down and addressed them. “I’m sorry. No autographs tonight.”

  “We were actually hoping to meet him. I’m a stage magician and I’m hoping to make a career of it,” Mal said.

  His voice sounded lower than usual to Opal, but she couldn’t tell if he was trying to use magic to persuade her to let them see Caleb.

  She pursed her lips. “Give me a minute,” she said.

  She disappeared and returned shortly. The theater had almost completely cleared out. “Wait here. He’ll come out and see you in a couple of minutes.”

  Mal nodded and a moment later he and Opal sat down in chairs in the front row to wait. As the last stragglers left, Opal glanced around more and more uneasily, expecting to see the Trickster appear at any moment.

  The guy made the third Trickster to have bothered her or Mal in the last few days. It was putting her a bit on edge, wondering when and where the next one would show up.

  A minute after the last theater attendees left Caleb Grey came out on stage. He jumped down off it and faced them with a small smile seemingly frozen in place. He looked like he was in his upper thirties. He had light brown hair that brushed against his collar. His eyes were an interesting amber color that she couldn’t remember ever seeing before.

  “Sir, it’s an honor to meet you. I am such a fan,” Mal said, quickly standing and offering his hand.

  Caleb shook his hand briefly and when he pulled it back a rose had appeared between his fingers.

  “For me? You are too kind, but really it should go to
the lady,” Caleb said, turning to hand the rose to Opal.

  She took it, unable to contain her excitement.

  “You’re a fan of magic, my dear?” he asked.

  “It’s a recent passion,” she admitted.

  He smiled. “I hope tonight did not disappoint.”

  “You were wonderful,” she said.

  He turned to Mal. “And you, young man, I hear you want to be an illusionist when you grow up.”

  Opal blinked in shock. The man was addressing Mal as though he were a five-year-old. Mal frowned slightly but nodded his head.

  “I’ve been practicing for years.”

  “That’s the only way to do it,” Caleb said. “Anything else would be...magic.”

  There was something slightly off about the way he put the emphasis on the word. He smiled and a chill danced up Opal’s spine. She had a sudden desire to be somewhere else. Anywhere else.

  She didn’t know what it was but the charm he had exuded onstage was much more alarming and slimy feeling face-to-face. Mal’s frown deepened and she wondered if he could feel it, too.

  “I think it’s time to go home,” she said to Mal, grabbing his arm.

  “Yes, time for all good little children to be in bed,” Caleb said. He pinned Mal with his eyes. “And you are a good, little child, right?”

  Before Mal could respond the stage manager came back out on stage. “Sir, it’s time to go,” she said.

  Caleb nodded and turned back to Opal. “My apologies, miss. I hope to see you again sometime.”

  He turned and disappeared back behind the curtain.

  Opal had a sensation as though spiders were skittering up and down her body.

  “Let’s go,” she urged.

  “Probably a good idea,” Mal muttered.

  They couldn’t get out of there fast enough for her and she felt like she was race walking and practically dragging Mal behind her. Once they made it into the car and he pulled out onto the street she turned to him.

  “That was weird, right?”

  “Yes, it was weird. I think he knows something about real magic,” Mal muttered.

  “I don’t know why he was so insulting,” she said.