"A Wizard's Magic" Chapter 2

Belinda Myers leaned closer to Serena, “I can’t believe that Ray asked me to marry him,” she wiggling the ring adorned finger on her hand, flashing the three-quarter karat diamond for all to see, “Can you believe it?”

“It’s hard not to Linnie especially with that spotlight on your little finger drawing attention,” Serena teased her friend good-naturedly.

Belinda giggled, tossing back her shoulder length red curls. “I am so lucky.”

“That’s right babe you’re lucky…to have me,” Ray Stevenson wiggled his eyebrows at his fiancée.

Instead of her taking offense at his male arrogance, Belinda just held her hand up higher letting the light reflect off her diamond ring and agreed solemnly with him. “I sure am.”

Serena glanced at Jane and they both rolled their eyes in silent understanding.

Jane Gustafson, Belinda Myers and Serena Michaels had been friends since kindergarten and ever since third grade Belinda had wanted to marry Ray. So of course they were happy for her. Her dream was coming true. Belinda had never wanted to be anything but Ray’s wife and never wanted to do anything without Ray and Ray never did much without Belinda either. They’d shared a mutual path since childhood. They didn’t have to play the disappointing game of searching for the right one; they’d had each other all along.

“To my soon to be wife-” Ray held up his glass, but before he could finish David stood up and said, “Why wait? You can get married on the beach here and you’ve got the wedding party.”

Everyone agreed, fortified by champagne, and began excitedly talking at once about how to plan their friend’s wedding but thankfully a cooler head prevailed, Belinda’s. She would not be cheated out of her dream wedding day, not even for a wedding in Paradise.

“Hold on everyone,” Belinda stood up to get their slightly inebriated attention. “First,” she held up one finger, “I’m not getting married with sand in my toes and my bridesmaids will not be witnessing the event in bikinis.”

The mention of bikini clad bridesmaids provoked a few cheers from the males at the table and from some males at other tables who’d overheard, but Belinda paid them no attention. “Second!” she said even louder, “You know my Dad would be highly offended if he didn’t walk me down the aisle and Ray you wouldn’t really want to deny us the wedding we’ve been dreaming of, would you?” Belinda turned to her betrothed and batted her large, brown eyes at him.

Ray caved instantly. “Whatever you want babe,” he told her pulling her down beside him. Belinda responded by bestowing a loud smooch on his lips and everyone in the restaurant applauded.“Okay, then it’s agreed. No bikini clad bridesmaids,” Belinda said with a happy smile.

“We’ll be proud to be in the party even if we men and these beautiful women have to wear buttoned up and bow tied formal attire,” Paul said lifting his glass and draining its contents, sealing the promise with the expensive bubbly.

“That’s right,” Jane agreed smiling up at Paul with eyes filled with longing as she leaned closer asking him to refill her glass. Paul Chapinski was Jane’s secret, unrequited love since high school but not so secret that Serena and Belinda didn’t know.

Matt and Jeanne Lewellyn were the only two of the group who had yet to appear tonight but that was expected. They’d married just before graduation and were more than happy to spend their time alone and, except for the wild boat ride this afternoon that nearly capsized her and David’s boat, Serena hadn’t seen much of them.

The champagne bottle was nearly empty when Matt and Jeanne finally joined the group. So another bottle was ordered with their food and the congratulations and revelry continued until it was time to leave for the show at the Sheer Magic Theatre.

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“Looks like a sell out,” Serena whispered noticing there were no empty seats in the theatre. “I told you, this show is supposed to be amazing,” Jane whispered back as she settled comfortable in her seat next to Serena. Serena hoped so because she loved magic and the show was about to start. She settled back in her seat ready to be impressed.

All the house lights blinked out except for one lone shaft of light shinning on center stage drawing the audience’s attention. It was a diversion, recognized only when the theatre’s back doors flew open and a strong wind blew through eliciting a combined gasp from the audience as they turned around in near unison.

At the back of the room a tall, dark robed, figure stood. His female assistant stepped into the lone spotlight on the stage and began chanting his name. The rhythm of her voice encouraged the audience to join in. The chanting grew louder as the robed figure moved towards the stage. He stepped on the stage and slowly turned to the audience. The stage light fell upon his features and the audience fell silent.

Serena froze, her gaze fixed on the man’s illuminated face. If destiny took a life form hers had just appeared before her.

The magician’s deep voice drew her forward, “Are you ready to enter the land of magic?” The magician asked in a low voiced challenge and Serena’s head nodded vigorously. When he stepped to the edge of the stage to begin his first illusion, she was in a state of mesmeric focus. She didn’t know how much time had passed when she heard Jane ask, “How is he doing these tricks?” “How did he just make that piano disappear?”

“Right?” David leaned across from Serena’s left side to answer Jane, “and the piano player’s bewildered too, he hasn’t a clue where his piano went,” he laughed.

Serena was annoyed at their bantering across her line of vision. She didn’t want to be pulled away from the magic or the magician and she gave them each a withering look as she whispered, “You know what I think?"

“What?” Jane asked curiously.

“It’s almost like it’s a…magic show?”

Jane laughed at the sarcasm, “Okay, I’ll keep quiet. I’m glad you’re impressed,” she said the last smugly as she sat back in her seat.

“Oh, he’s impressive all right,” Serena admitted turning her attention back to the stage just in time to see the piano reappear.

 “I’m sure there are mirrors we just don’t see them,” David whispered confidently to her.

“Sure lots of mirrors,” Serena agreed quickly but she didn’t turn to him. She wasn’t taking her eyes off the magician and her ears drank in his deliciously deep voice as he led them into his next illusion.

“Imagine; if you will, the magnificence of a thunder and lightning storm. See the rare ball lightning appearing in the heavens as thunder cracks in the distance.” The Magician smiled at the audiences rapt attention. “If you are brave and willing we can create just such a storm, while sitting comfortably in your theatre seats. Would you like that?” He asked playfully.

The audience applauded and cheered their consent.

The magician held their unblinking attention as he moved closer to the edge of the stage. He placed his hands slightly apart. His fingers curved over the shape of an unseen ball as he moved one hand over the palm of the other in a circular motion, causing friction to spark between his palms. He moved his hands further apart and small bolts of electricity crackled between the palms of his hands. The sparks became more menacing with each circular motion and thunder began to rumble in the distance.

The audience looked for the source of this brewing storm but the only source they could find was the man on the stage, and it wasn’t over yet.

The Magician manipulated the currents cascading between his palms, molding them into a large ball of captured lightning. When it was perfectly round he suspended it over one palm and held it out towards the audience.

“Would you like a closer look?” He asked with a touch of menace in his tone. The loud calls of “Yes” turned his smile wicked as he threw the ball of lightning, like a baseball, out into the audience.

A unified gasp accompanied the flight of the perfectly circular ball of light as it zigzagged over their heads. The ball bounced playfully over the audience, avoiding all hands reaching upward to touch it, playing a good game of keep away. One man almost touched the sphere and it reacted by flying up and away from him, as if it could see and think.

The Magician laughed and the deep throaty sound had the audience returning their attention to him.

“Ball lightning…amazing is it not?” He asked the captivated audience, “But just one small ball of lightning does not make a storm, and I did promise you a storm…without the rain of course,” he chuckled softly, “So let’s make that promise a reality.”

The magician said some indiscernible, mystical sounding words and in response to those words, bold colors of scarlet, emerald and sapphire sparkled outward from the symbols on his robe. The sparkles of light created long bolts of colorful beams that misted above the audience like a captured aurora borealis. He waved his hand and singular bolts of lightning began to crackle within the colorful mists and drops of rain began to fall from above but the raindrops evaporated before reaching the heads of the audience. The thunder boomed threateningly and a cool wind blew across the theatre ruffling strands of hair.

“You are now inside the storm, protected from the rain, and electrified with magic. How does it feel?” The Magician asked with a broad smile.

The audience responded with enthusiastic applause and calls for more.

“My pleasure,” he bowed and with a wave of his hand the colorful mist began to swirl tightly fracturing into miniature tornadoes of forcefully spinning light. The mini tornadoes pulled playbills up into their vortex and then tossed them playfully into unsuspecting laps.

Serena gasped as a playbill fell into her hands.

“He’s really something special isn’t he?’ Jane whispered, momentarily forgetting her pact to be quiet.

“Shhhhh,” Serena scolded, her eyes pinned on the magician and Jane noticed. “Yes, he’s also something special,” Jane whispered with a knowing laugh.

On the stage, Leila felt raw power pulsing in the air around her. Troy’s performance tonight was different; it was uncomfortably different. Of course, every illusion her brother performed  was perfection, as always, but the power electrifying the room and the audience, was not usual. She felt that her new violet robe was vibrating with that power and Troy’s new robe appeared to be the source of all this electrifying power. Thankfully, the performance was nearly over because she needed to talk to Troy about it. She stepped into her usual spot for the finale, counting the seconds to Troy’s closing ‘adieu’ as she watched him bring the grand illusion to an end.

Troy bowed to the audience acknowledging the applause but instead of his usual tag line he said, “Now, I will search for another willing…victim,” and stretched his hand out to the audience.

Leila nearly lost her professional smile as she stared angrily at her brother. They’d already had the usual participant illusion and they hadn’t rehearsed a new one.What was he setting up for? She nearly stomped her foot with frustration as he walked down from the stage and out into the audience.

Troy concentrated on the faces before him, searching for the one soul calling to his. It was remarkable the way he could hear her.

He walked slowly down the main aisle. The pretty blond winking at him made him smile but he kept walking.

The burly young man who jumped into the aisle was brushed back by the theatre’s discreet, bouncer like ushers, and Troy stepped easily around them...and then she was there.

Beautiful green eyes stared up at him wide with awareness and when he held out his hand to her, she didn’t hesitate to place hers firmly in his. The reaction was immediate and passionate but he managed to keep it from the audience as he asked her name.

“Serena,” she said with a shy smile.

“Are you willing to trust me completely for the next few minutes Serena?”

“Can I?” She asked softly and the audience laughed, unaware of the earth shattering, life altering combustion occurring between the two of them.

“Of course,” he pulled her up from her seat and along with him back to the stage.

On the stage, he requested the third robe, waving away the one he’d used earlier and nodding when Leila picked up the new robe.

Leila brought the emerald robe over to Troy and made a show of presenting it to him as she whispered. “What’s going on? I don’t know what you’re doing.”

“Don’t worry Leila, I do,” he winked.

Leila was glad Troy was confident but she couldn’t completely shake off the feeling that tonight wasn't totally under his control, and she didn’t like the feeling at all.

Troy stood behind Serena holding the robe suspended above her shoulders as he asked her, “Have you dreams Serena?”

The audience leaned forward to hear her answer.

“Yes, doesn’t everyone?” she laughed self consciously.

Troy’s smile widened as he asked, “What if you could have a dream come true? One dream…right now.”

Serena looked up into the deepest midnight blue eyes she’d ever seen in the uncompromisingly masculine face turned towards her. Her eyes roamed over the thick dark hair that framed that heart stopping face and she nodded.

“I could think of one,” she admitted softly.

“Then I’ll ask you to do that,” and with those words he lowered the robe fully on to her shoulders. He lifted the hood so it fell over her forehead and covered her eyes as he said, “And now I will send you to the land of dreams.”

Troy snapped his fingers and, even thought the robe continued to drape the woman’s shoulders as if it still caressed her body, the woman had completely disappeared.

The crowd went wild.

Troy stepped from behind the now empty, suspended robe and grinned wickedly at the awe struck audience. “I suppose I’ll have to bring her back,” he said before turning from them to face the empty robe.

He raised his hood and held out the folds of his robe, shielding his entire body from the audience's view and in a heartbeat his robe flowed back in place to drape shoulders that were no longer there.

The magician too had vanished. 

The astounded crowd fell silent.

The hooded robes suspended on the stage appeared to defy their emptiness by remaining molded over thin air and closely entangled as if in an embrace.

Leila wondered what she was supposed to do. Troy hadn't rehearsed this illusion with her but ever the performer; she calmly walked over to the two suspended robes in center stage and waved her right hand along the folds of both, moving first one and then the other to show that nothing, and no one, was inside but when sparks flew from the blue robe at her touch, she stepped back quickly.

Once again the crowd responded by applauding thinking it was part of the show.

Leila smiled at them as she whispered to the empty robes, “Troy, you’d better have a good explanation for this.”

A loud clap of thunder made her jump back even further and had the effects man scratching his head. Then a bright bolt of lightning flashed across the stage just as the two figures reappeared back in the robes.

The audience went absolutely wild.

Leila bowed to Troy as if all had gone as planned but inwardly she fumed. They had a lot to discuss after this show. She did not appreciate being left out of his performance plans.

Troy ignored the glares from Leila and removed the robe from around the beautiful Serena, who stood looking at him with undisguised wonder. The stage usher came to walk her back to her seat, as was customary for participants, and Troy covertly waved him away and proceeded to give his usual ending line, while still holding Serena’s hand.

“Thank you for your sincere applause; we are humbled by your response. May Magic fill your days and nights with wonder and spark your dreams with extreme possibilities. Adieu.” Troy dramatically waved his hand and the house lights blinked out, in seconds they were back on but all three occupants had vanished from the stage.

The applause was deafening.