“Oh joy.”
“Think of it as part of the performance. I’m stripping away your defenses so to speak,” he said suggestively.
She couldn’t help but laugh. “You know, I do think you have a bit of devil in you.”
He bowed. “Most good stage magicians do.”
“Okay, then what?”
“Then, I’ll make you vanish in the vanishing cabinet and then reappear. After that, we’ll finish with the levitating.”
“What if we do the vanishing cabinet before the running? Otherwise the two big, obvious tricks are next to each other. This way it breaks them up. And, after you’ve scared me with the vanishing cabinet I’ll be even more likely to run from you.”
“You are really good at this,” he said admiringly.
She blushed. “They’re your tricks.”
“Yes, but you’re very good at theatricality.”
“Thanks. It just sort of seems obvious to me.”
“Well, what’s obvious to you should be mind blowing to the audience. And with some practice, I’ll be shocked if we don’t win the talent contest.”
She shook her head. “I’m not going to have a ton of time to practice. I have to train with Winston Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Honestly I’m not sure how I’m going to have time to do that, this, and still do my homework.”
“Isn’t study hall for homework?” he asked with a teasing grin.
“Depends on whether or not I’m being distracted.”
“Are you saying I shouldn’t distract you?” he asked, moving closer. He touched her arm and electricity danced across her skin.
“Not at all,” she said, breath catching in her throat.
“Tell you what, we’ll practice a bit more today then tomorrow after school we’ll rehearse in the auditorium so we can block out the space we’re going to be using.”
She grimaced.
“I know, the auditorium has some bad memories. This time I won’t just lock the doors, I’ll cast some heavy wards on it like I did with your house.”
“That’s part of it,” she admitted. “I’m just worried about going back to school in general. I mean, police are probably still going to be there, trying to figure out what happened to those two dead men.”
“They’re not.”
“What? How do you know?”
“Because apparently when fire and police arrived all they found was the remains of the fire. No bodies.”
“How? Did you teleport them out?”
“No, but I think someone must have.”
“Why?”
“I’m not sure. I mean, the magic world is supposed to be kept separate, fights are supposed to be concealed. I’m just a little surprised given how blatant everything has been lately.”
“How do you even know this?”
“Saturday while you were at practice I checked out the news. When I didn’t see any report of bodies I made a few...discrete...inquiries.”
She felt like a weight had been lifted. “That is a relief. I guess on some level I kept expecting people to question you or us about all that.”
“No, we should be all good. The only one who seems to know that anything was going on was Hannah, and she’s from a magic family, she knows when to keep quiet about such things.”
“I wish you’d told me sooner. I’ve been worrying about nothing.”
“Sorry, I’ve had a lot on my mind.”
“Well, at least that’s one less thing for us to worry about,” she said.
“Yup, now we can focus on more pressing things.”
“Like what?” she asked, feeling a bit trepidatious.
“Like getting you the perfect, skimpy white leotard,” he said with a smirk.
She went to smack him in the shoulder. Suddenly lightning exploded from her fingertips and hit him full in the chest.
30
Opal shrieked as Mal fell flat on his back. Smoke curled up from the scorch mark in his shirt. His eyes were closed and he was completely pale.
She dropped down next to him. “Mal!” she shouted, shaking him.
“Careful,” he said, his voice pained.
“Are you okay?”
“I’ll heal,” he said, opening his eyes. He groaned as he sat up. “And that’s why everyone, even if they have no intention of practicing magic, has to be trained how to control it.”
“I am so sorry!”
“It’s not your fault. You intended to hit me, and you did. Just not in a fun way.”
“What good is being able to do magic if it’s only on accident?”
He grabbed her hand. “You’ll learn to control it. I promise. And, if you hadn’t been able to do magic the other day, I’d be dead. So, I’d say it’s a lot of good.”
“You’re right,” she said with a weary sigh.
He rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb. “Tell you what, we don’t need to practice today. We need a day off.”
“Look what happened the last time we tried.”
“I know. So, let’s go back to your place. We won’t be disturbed there. We can veg out and watch some movies or something. Sound good?”
She nodded.
“Okay, let me change my shirt, and we’ll go.”
“Sorry about your shirt.”
“It’s okay. I’ll pick up some flame retardant ones this week.”
She blinked at him. “Wait, that’s a real thing?”
At school the next day she was relieved to find that while everyone was talking about the disaster at the dance for once no one seemed to be blaming Mal for anything.
After school they spent some time in the auditorium. Mal warded it as promised. They blocked out their entire routine including where mirrors and other props would be placed. They still had to work on the flow and emotions of the four tricks and making sure they moved smoothly from one to another but at least the basic mechanics were down.
The next three days she practiced after school with Winston until she was sore and frustrated. Mal kept reassuring her that it was like that for everyone in the beginning.
Friday after school it was a relief to take a break from it all and head out shopping with her Aunt Tanya. They decided to get a snack to start off with and headed for downtown.
“Things going okay?” Tanya asked a little bit later as she sipped a hot cider at one of the outside tables at Coffins.
Opal nodded around a mouthful of bleeding chocolate muffin. Then, she realized that wasn’t really true. She shook her head as she finished chewing.
“It’s hard and I don’t feel like I’m making much progress,” she said.
Tanya smiled sympathetically. “That’s normal. Well, as normal as things get in this world.”
“That’s what Mal says.”
“And I’d tell you if he was lying, but he’s not. It’ll probably be another four or five months before you really start to feel like you’re making any kind of progress.”
“Great,” Opal said.
“Once you do, though, you’ll find you start making huge leaps forward. It will be very exciting.”
“Was it hard on you? Having to watch all this, go to lessons, and never be able to do magic yourself?”
“Sometimes. I mean, part of me knew that my life was easier because I couldn’t, but sometimes it was frustrating.”
“I’m sorry.”
Tanya shrugged. “It is what it is. I learned to focus on the things I was good at.”
Opal finished her muffin and her hot chocolate. “Ready when you are,” she said.
Tanya nodded and downed the last of her cider. “Let’s do this,” she said as she stood up.
It turned out the store they were heading to was a block away. It was selling a bunch of fake witch stuff with souvenir cauldrons, spices, incense, a bunch of books and other paraphernalia. There were also a few very designer looking goth fashions.
“Let me guess, there’s a door in the back heading to the real store,” Opal muttered.
“Isn’t there always?” Tanya asked with a smile. She approached the clerk, a bored looking young woman who was thumbing through a magazine.
“We’re here to see the designer,” Tanya said.
“You need to make an appointment,” the clerk said without even looking up.
“She’ll see us without one,” Tanya assured her. She held up her hand and fire suddenly flared to life above her fingertips.
Opal took a step back, shocked.
The clerk glanced up, saw the fire, and then turned back to her magazine. “I’ll buzz you in,” she said.
Tanya turned and headed for the back of the store.
“You can do magic?” Opal whispered, trying to keep her voice down.
“Not the kind you can,” Tanya said.
At the back wall they stopped and Opal looked for a door but didn’t see one. Tanya placed her hand on the wall and pushed and it swung silently inward. They stepped through and it closed behind them. They were in another store, this one mostly filled with clothes, more than half of which were for kids, but there were other things as well that Opal guessed could be used by magic practitioners.
At the back of the store was what looked like a sewing workshop. A much older woman with silvery hair had her head down and was intently working on stitching together something in a silvery fabric.
“Griselda!” Tanya called.
The older woman looked up, then dropped her work on a table and moved toward them. She didn’t seem to walk. It was more like she floated, every movement graceful and liquid. “My dear, it’s been so long,” Griselda said, grabbing Tanya’s shoulders and then kissing her on each cheek. “My, you are so grown up.”
“It’s good to see you,” Tanya told the older woman with a smile.
“And this precious child, surely she’s not your daughter?”
“No, my niece.”
“Ah! How is your darling sister?”
Tanya blinked, clearly caught off guard. “She’s...not with us,” she said at last.
“Such a shame,” Griselda said.
Her head swung toward Opal and she pinned great, grey eyes on her. “But this one has the gift if I’m not mistaken.”
“She does. And we’re here to get her some clothes that will take a beating.”
Griselda’s smile widened. “I will be honored to help you with that.” She spun on her heel, her movements still fluid. Opal noticed that the woman never seemed to come to a complete standstill, some part of her was ever in motion.
She threw her arms out as if to embrace the whole store. “All my talents as a Wizard and as seamstress are at your disposal.”
Opal blinked. “You’re, you’re a wizard?” she asked, then cringed inwardly, wondering if it had been rude of her to question.
Griselda swung back to her. “Of course, my dear, it was years ago that I finally unlocked the secret to making true fire repellant fabric. No fire can harm you as long as my fabric protects you.”
“Can I get a couple of shirts for my boyfriend?” Opal blurted out.
“You are too young, my dear, to have a boyfriend,” Griselda said.
“Oh, but-”
Tanya laid a hand on Opal’s arm. Opal stopped talking.
Griselda turned back to the store. “So, let’s find you something...glorious.”
“I didn’t realize ‘glorious’ was code for wicked expensive,” Opal said as they exited the store over an hour later. “I’m sorry.”
They were each carrying a large, non-descript shopping bag. Opal had gotten half a dozen shirts, a couple of skirts, two pairs of slacks, and even a pair of jeans.
“Don’t be. It was my idea and you need these things. Besides, we can afford it so it will be alright.”
“Thank you. And thank you for getting me my outfit for the magic show. I was just planning on buying a regular leotard.”
“This way you’ll be a bit more protected in case something goes awry,” Tanya said breezily. “And the fabric does have a lovely sheen to it.”
It was true. It did. It shined so much on its own that Opal was debating if she even needed to add sequins to it.
“So, what you did back there, with the fire on your fingertips...”
“A trick. Stage magicians do it.”
Opal nodded. She had accused Mal of doing something similar the night he was trying to tell her his secret. Her world had changed so much since then that it hadn’t even occurred to her in the moment that her aunt was faking it.
“Can you do anything else?”
Tanya glanced at her. “A couple of things. There are some places in Salem you can’t go unless you’re a magic user. I learned early on how to do a few simple stage tricks really well. Here, if you are clearly in the know, and can produce any sort of magic effect, most people don’t question.”
“Maybe I should learn a couple,” Opal muttered.
Tanya put an arm around her shoulders and squeezed. “In a few weeks you’ll forget all about trying to learn fake magic.”
Days later Tanya’s words were still echoing in Opal’s mind as she stood in the kitchen, exhausted out of her mind, staring at a frozen dinner that she was holding in her hands.
“Aestus!” she hissed, pouring all of her will into heating up the dinner which was slowly numbing her hands. “Aestus!” she shouted.
Then, suddenly, she felt heat pulse through her hands and into the frozen dinner. She watched in excitement as the ice crystals on the turkey melted almost instantly. Her hands were getting hotter and hotter. The butter on the mashed potatoes turned to liquid. Then, a moment later began to boil. There was a pop and a drop of sizzling butter hit her right between the eyes.
“That’s enough, stop,” she said. The tray kept heating.
With a yelp she dropped it on the floor as it burst into flames. Tanya, who was sitting at the kitchen table reading, leaned over, picked up a fire extinguisher, and sprayed the tiny inferno.
She put the fire extinguisher down and kept right on reading.
Opal threw herself down in a chair in disgust.
“Three weeks of training and all I can do is heat up a TV dinner.”
“Yes, and in the future, please just use the microwave,” Tanya said, turning a page.
“Sorry about the tile.”
“It’s seen worse.”
“I can’t do this,” Opal moaned, putting her head down on the table.
“Don’t be nervous, you’re going to do fine tonight,” Tanya said.
“What?” Opal asked.
“Isn’t the dress rehearsal for the talent show tonight?”
“Yes. Mal’s picking me up in half an hour. I was hoping to eat something before then.”
Tanya looked up. “I think there’s a can of Spaghettios in the pantry. Sixty seconds in the microwave and you’ll be good to go.”
Opal got up and found the can in question. She opened it, dumped it into a bowl, and shoved it into the microwave before she was tempted to try and heat it as well. While it counted down the seconds she did what she could to clean up the mess on the floor.
When she finally sat back down with the bowl of food she found herself twirling her spoon round and round in the bowl.
“So, not hungry then?” Tanya asked, eyes still on her book.
“I guess. I think I’m too nervous.”
“You’re going to do great.”
“Yeah, it’s a good thing I don’t have to do any actual magic for this,” Opal said with a sigh.
She shoved the bowl away from her. Tanya reached out and grabbed it and pulled it forward. She slid her book slightly to the side as she started eating.
“You knew I wasn’t going to eat,” Opal said.
“Yup, and I really wanted the Spaghettios,” Tanya said.
“Is there anything else I can get you?” Opal asked sarcastically.
“A soda would be nice.”
She shook her head in disbelief but then got up and got her aunt the drink. She
sat back down.
“Thanks.”
“I think I need a break,” Opal said.
“From what?”
“From everything. School. Magic Lessons. Life.”
“You’re tired, that’s understandable. Your life has been thrown into utter chaos the last few months and you’re just struggling for something to hold onto,” Tanya said.
“Yeah. It sounds even more depressing when you put it like that,” Opal said.
Tanya closed the book and looked up. “You know, we could both use a break. Tell you what, why don’t we take a vacation?”
Opal looked up. “A vacation, really?”
“Yes. Why not. Neither of us has had a chance to properly grieve or process or anything.”
“Can we take off during the school year?” Opal asked blinking.
“I’ll make it work and so will you.”
Opal sat up, feeling a flood of excitement. “Where will we go?”
“Well, we could go to New York. Do some shopping, catch some plays. Or we could go down to Walt Disney World, ride the rides, eat all the junk food in the world. Your choice.”
Opal felt a grin spreading across her face. “Those both sound awesome.”
“Well, make a decision and let’s get it booked.”
“Winston won’t like me taking time off,” Opal said.
“Tell Winston he can complain to me. And as far as Mal goes, he can join us afternoons if you want.”
“Really?”
“What’s the good of having a boyfriend who can teleport if he can’t come visit you while you’re on vacation?” Tanya teased.
Opal jumped up and hugged her aunt.
“Okay, you tell me this weekend which one you want and we’ll make it happen. Now, go be brilliant at rehearsal.”
“Thanks!” Opal said.
She ran upstairs to grab her stuff and then came back down. She hadn’t realized just how much stress she was under until Tanya brought up the idea of a vacation. A break from all the crazy sounded like a bit of heaven to her.
When Mal arrived she waved goodbye to Tanya and headed out feeling more optimistic than she had in days.
Now You See Me Page 28
