Love Is Only an Illusion

After the Horsemen landed in New Orleans, they headed straight for the Savoy Theatre to make sure everything was in order for their next show. Not trusting the stagehands to set everything up correctly, Sutton began placing envelops underneath each chair for her and Merritt’s act after her hair was curled.

“Sutters, give me some,” Jack called as he made his way down the stage.

Sutton eyed him. “Dude, why are you dressed already?”

“Um, why are you not?” he retorted. “Sut, Danny’s going to kill you. He wants everyone dressed by 7:30.”

“My hair is done already,” she pointed out, tussling her red curls. “I just need to get dressed and have Henley do my make-up.”

Jack rolled his eyes, taking the envelops out of her hands. “Sutton, it’s 7 now. What’s with you? You’re, like, the Nazi of time management.”

Sutton sighed, crossing her arms. “I don’t know, Jack. I’m just so preoccupied with other things.”

“Hey, I get it,” Jack told her as he placed the envelops under the seats. “I mean, I keep thinking about what we have to do tomorrow.”

“Yeah, that too,” Sutton muttered. “Jack, can I tell you so-“

“Sutton Sawyer!” Henley yelled as she crossed the stage, hands on her hips. “Get your ass to the dressing room now!”

Jack gave her a smile. “We’ll talk later, Sut.” He gave her a small kiss on the cheek as Henley yelled again.

“I’m coming, mother!”

~~

Dressed in black pants, a white button up shirt, and a black jacket, Sutton made her way once more to the make-up chair where Henley not-so-patiently waited.

“I don’t like to rush my masterpieces,” Henley complained as she applied foundation to Sutton’s face.

“Don’t worry about Danny,” Sutton told her. “Just tell him it was my fault.”

“Oh, Danny doesn’t scare me,” Henley grinned. “Now, shut up. I need to make you look as though you haven’t been on a plane all morning with a headache. By the way, do you feel any better?”

“Well, you could say I’m avoiding the problem area,” Sutton replied.

After twenty minutes had passed, the boys barged into the dressing room.

“Where were you two while Jack and I helped Control Freak here with the tracking bracelets?” Merritt questioned the girls as he flopped down on the couch.

“Sutton decided to skip her time management pills this morning,” Henley explained as she put the finishing touches on Sutton’s lips.

“I’m preoccupied with other things, okay?” Sutton stated, glancing at Danny who looked down at his hands, playing with his fingers.

“Well, don’t worry about those other things right now,” Henley told her. Sutton grimaced at her. “I mean, you’ll be performing which is one of your most favorite things in the world. Let your worries just melt away!”

Sutton giggled. Just then, the announcer’s voice echoed into the dressing room. “Ladies and gentlemen, the Savoy management welcomes you to tonight’s special performance, The Horsemen, Act Two. Unlike traditional performances, The Horsemen encourage you to film, call your friends, upload, stream, and tweet the show freely. Thank you, the show will begin in a few minutes.”

“I guess that’s our cue, huh?” Jack smirked.

“That would be it,” Merritt huffed, heaving himself off the couch and out the door. The others followed.

“Sutton,” Danny said, grabbing her hand. Henley looked back, but Sutton waved at her to keep going. “Sutton, I need to talk to you about earlier today.”

Sutton forced a smile. “Don’t worry about it, Danny. You were right. It was all my idea. I thought you liked being right?”

“I-I do,” Danny stuttered, “but not if it means having you mad at me.”

“I’m not mad,” Sutton confirmed for him as she headed for the stage and took her place beside Merritt.

Danny sighed, wishing so badly to take back what he said to her this morning. Shaking his head, he followed Sutton, taking his place between her and Henley.

“Jack Wilder, Henley Reeves, Merritt McKinney, Sutton Reeves, and Daniel Atlas,” the loud voice announced. “The Horsemen.” Cheers erupted throughout the crowd as the magicians stood under the lights.

“What is magic?” Danny questioned the audience. “Our argument, nothing but targeted deception.”

“So we want you to look,” Sutton took over. “Look as closely as possible. Because the tricks you are about to see may not seem connected, but we assure you, they are.”

“Is what follows 100 different tricks? Or is it one giant illusion?” Danny concluded, his gaze drawing over toward Sutton as the audience once again applauded their opening scene.

Sutton, Merritt, and Jack made their way backstage for Henley and Danny to perform the first act. Sutton picked up the small white rabbit and handed her to Henley.

“Good luck,” Sutton told her.

“You too, sweetie,” Henley called over her shoulder. “And now,” she addressed the audience, “for one of the oldest tricks in the book. Danny, if you wouldn’t mind opening up the box, and showing everybody that it’s completely empty.”

Danny did as instructed as Merritt and Jack giggled. “Danny the assistant,” they sang. Sutton rolled her eyes.

“I’m gonna take sweet little Fluffy here, and put her inside this mystery box,” Henley demonstrated.

“And now, you will say the magic word,” Danny instructed.

“Uh, Abracadabra?”

“Yes, and I will wave this magic wand for no reason,” Danny said as he tossed the wand behind him. Sutton chuckled. “And then, Fluffy has magically vanished before your very eyes.” The crowd gasped.

“And now we are gonna debunk a few magic myths this evening,” Henley explained to the audience. “We all know that Fluffy is, in fact, alive and well.” Danny slowly released the mirror in the box to show the white rabbit. “And Fluffy has miraculously appeared.”

“As has the mirror which makes the box only appear as though it’s empty.” Danny flipped the mirror to show the audience. The crowd rewarded the act with cheers as the two magicians made their way off stage for Merritt’s mass hypnosis act.

“Nice job,” Sutton muttered to Danny as he sipped from a water bottle.

“Thanks,” he grinned, biting the inside of his cheek. He was thankful for her compliment.

“Now, we’re gonna need 12 courageous volunteers,” Merritt began, pointing toward 12 people in the front row. As they finished settling into a line across the stage, Merritt explained, “If you haven’t experienced mass hypnosis, you’re about to.” He made his way to the first person of the line. “And sleep,” he told the volunteer, lightly pulling on their shoulder to get them to lean down in a hypnotic sleep motion. “Down, down. Sleep, sleep. Completely sleep. Good, good. Sleep, sleep.

“Why aren’t you out there with him?” Danny questioned Sutton.

Sutton smirked. “I’m working with Jack tonight.”

Danny choked on his water. “Y-You’re what?”

“When you hear the word “freeze,” you are all football players,” Merritt instructed the 12 volunteers. “And your job is to tackle, dismantle, crush, tear limb from limb, the quarterback. You will know who the quarterback is. He will be the one saying that word. “Freeze.””

“You heard me,” Sutton said as she bit back her smile.

“Put your hands in the middle. One, two, three,” Merritt cheered.

“I-I just didn’t think you were serious when you said that you wanted to perform with Jack,” Danny explained as Merritt’s group chanted, “Kill the quarterback!”

“Get on back to your seats. I got a feeling I’m gonna be seeing you soon.”

“Sutters, we’re on,” Jack interrupted, placing his hand on the small of her back in an effort to push her onto the stage.

Sutton gave Danny a smirk before turning away from him and wrapping an arm around Jack’s waist. She congratulated Merritt on his act as they passed him.

“Who wants to see a pretty awesome magic trick?” Sutton hollered to the crowd, letting Jack go to shuffle his deck of cards. The crowd replied with cheers of excitement.

“There are two pencils out there,” Jack told the audience. “Hold ‘em up high. Let me see ‘em.”

“Here!” a young woman called.

“Yeah!” another woman cried.

“Now, can you pick a card please, beautiful?” Jack asked Sutton as he fanned out the deck.

“Oh, please, Jack,” Sutton huffed. “Flattery won’t get you anywhere.” The crowd roared in laughter as she pulled out her card.

“Show it to your beautiful friend standing there, Sutton,” Jack instructed.

“Wow, you are such a tool,” Sutton joked with him, causing Jack to chuckle. “I’m kidding, ladies. Sweetest man you’ll ever find.” Jack blushed as Sutton showed the crowd her card, the seven of clubs.

“Put it back in the deck, Miss Reeves,” Jack said as he stifled another laugh. Sutton did as instructed. “Now, I’m going to attempt to make Sutton’s card land on the tip of your pencil,” he told one of the young women. Holding the deck of cards out, Jack counted down with the crowd. “Three, two, one.”

Cards went flying and one was struck by the pencil’s sharp point. The woman smiled as the crowd cheered.

“Was that Sutton’s card, miss?” Jack questioned her. The woman nodded.

“That was pretty awesome, huh?” Sutton clapped. “Now for something even better yet.”

“Come on, Sut. You can’t beat that,” Jack joked, giving her a wink.

“Oh, but I can, Jacky,” Sutton smiled. “Who here thinks I can throw a card and slice the other pencil in half?” The crowd cheered their support.

“Awesome, Sutton. You just lied to this whole audience,” Jack picked on her once more. “I think it’s only fair to remind them that you only played soccer.” The audience laughed.

“It’s true. I have no upper arm strength,” Sutton frowned as the audience continued to enjoy their banter. “Let’s just attempt it either way, yeah? Can you hold that pencil out to the side, please, miss?” Sutton requested of the woman. “Perfect.”

Jack began the countdown for Sutton with the audience. On one, she whipped her favorite card, the two of hearts, toward the pencil, expertly slicing it into two equal parts. The woman gasped as the audience cheered.

“Well, I guess I can’t make fun of you anymore!” Jack announced as the two made their way off stage.

“Nice little bit there,” Danny told Jack, narrowing his eyes.

“Um, thanks, I think,” Jack replied, his Adam’s apple bobbing in his throat as he swallowed. Danny patted Jack on the back as they passed one another.

“Ignore him,” Sutton told Jack, rolling her eyes as Danny took the stage. There, he created large, durable bubbles. They floated around the stage creating a fairytale-like atmosphere.

“Shit!” Henley exclaimed from behind her laptop, knocking Sutton out of her trance as she watched Danny.

“Hen, you need to be on stage in like a minute,” Sutton reminded her as she squatted beside her.

“Er, I kind of ran into a problem with Tressler’s banking information,” Henley replied, biting her red lips.

“What?” the three magicians yelled in unison, their greatest fears coming to light.

“It’s fine. I can have it fixed in, like, five minutes. Sutton, go do my act with Danny.”

“Henley, I don’t think that’s a go-“

“Go!”

Sutton quickly made her way on stage, swallowing hard as she stood behind Danny as he made a large bubble for her to fit in.

Danny noticed Sutton, his eyebrows scrunching. “Where’s Henley?” he mouthed.

“Problems,” Sutton mouthed back. Danny nodded, increasing the size of the bubble.

At once, Sutton and Danny ran toward each other. Sutton’s eyes fell closed as she left her outstretched hands touch the bubble, sending her soaring toward the ceiling. In the bubble, she smiled, performing flips for the audience’s enjoyment. Then, a great pop erupted, Sutton’s screams and the audience’s gasps filling the theater.

“I gotcha,” Danny whispered in her ear as she fell into his awaiting arms. He smiled at her as she looked at him with a shocked expression. “You didn’t watch the entire act, did you?”

Sutton shook her head. “I had no idea,” she said, biting her lip as claps and cheers sounded. Danny set her down gently so they could run up to the stage to close their act before intermission.