Love Is Only an Illusion

“What’s taking them so long?” Sutton sighed as she sat beside Jack on a bench in Central Park, tying the top half of her hair into a bun at the back of her head.

“Relax, they’ll be here soon,” Jack told her, setting his hand on her knee to stop her legs from shaking.

Sutton huffed, bringing her knees up to her chest. Absentmindedly, her fingers played with the anklet from Danny. Jack noticed and asked, “Where did you get that?”

“Hmm?” Sutton hummed, a smile plastered across her face.

Jack laughed, glad to see her so happy. “Where did you get that anklet, Sut? I never thought to ask you.”

“Danny,” she giggled. “It was my Christmas present. You know, besides the Scooby-Doo shirt.”

Jack nodded. “It’s not better than my bracelet, right?”

“Of course not,” Sutton giggled. “Hey, I’m gonna start looking for a sign or something to tell us why we’re here. I’ll be back when the others get here.”

Before Jack had time to answer, Sutton was off. A few minutes passed by before the chain on the gate began to rattle. “It’s locked,” Henley’s voice complained.

“Weren’t you listening?” Jack questioned her as he walked to the gate. The three magicians shined their lights on him. “Nothing’s ever locked.”

Merritt and Henley cheered for Jack. “Well done, Mr. Wilder! Good work,” Henley congratulated him.

“You’re a big boy now, Jack,” Merritt smiled as Jack opened the lock once more.

“Where’s Sutton?” Danny asked, suddenly coming alive.

“Um, she’s looking for some sort of sign for why we’re here,” Jack stated. “Danny, I know about you and Sutton. I’m not saying I support what you d-“

“Hey, guys. I didn’t find anything while on my little adventure but-“

“Sutton!” Danny exclaimed, his face lighting up at the very sight of her rounding the corner. He sprinted toward her, Sutton unsure what to do with herself in that moment except blush. “Sutton,” Danny breathed as he placed his hands on her cheeks, a smile plastered across each of their faces.

Sutton placed her hands on Danny’s cheeks, staring into his icy blue eyes. “Danny, I-“

“Don’t,” Danny said. “Don’t say anything.” With nervous fingers, he removed the pebble he found in the city from his pocket. Sutton gave his a confused look as Danny brought the pebble into view between the two. “When I was being interrogated, the Interpol agent told me there would come a time when I would be sure that you’re the one for me. I found this pebble in the middle of New York City. Do you know how rare that is with all the commotion and people?”

Sutton’s eyes began to tear up at Danny’s speech. She shook her head, afraid that by opening her mouth that the tears would fall and she would sound like a babbling idiot.

“Well, it’s pretty rare,” he smiled, glancing over at Henley who laughed. “I’m giving you this pebble, Sutton Reeves, because when a male penguin falls in love with a female penguin, he searches for the perfect pebble to give her as a way to say ‘I love you.’”

Sutton gasped, her tears suddenly springing forth as she covered her mouth. “Danny, I-I love you, too,” she cried. Danny laughed, removing Sutton’s hand from her mouth and giving her the pebble. Sutton tucked it inside the pocket of her jeans as Danny wiped her tears away with his thumb.

Once again, Danny placed his hands on Sutton’s cheeks, and Sutton wrapped her arms around Danny’s neck. Their foreheads touched, the two smiling as they breathed in each other’s air. For a moment, it was as though the other Horsemen didn’t exist.

“For crying out loud, you two!” Merritt hollered. “Just kiss already!” Henley flung her arm into his stomach, a groan erupting from the mentalist.

Danny and Sutton laughed, their lips crashing onto one another’s. It was as though they were kissing for the very first time. The very first time that their true feelings could finally be shown, no guilt hanging over their heads. As their lips moved in sync, Danny wrapped his arms around Sutton’s waist, lifting her off the ground and spinning her.

“I promised myself I wouldn’t cry,” Merritt sniffled, pretending to wipe away his tears.

“I really am crying,” Henley choked out a laugh.

“Come on, you two,” Jack pleaded. “Don’t start this. I mean, look at them.” Danny set Sutton back down on the ground, their lips releasing for air as their foreheads came together again, smiles plastered as before. Jack smiled and choked out, “Their finally happy.”

“Okay, I want a hug!” Henley squealed as she ran toward Sutton. Laughing, Danny reluctantly pulled away from her. The cousins held onto each other for some time before speaking.

“I’m so, so sorry I never told you,” Sutton told Henley as they pulled away.

“Don’t be sorry,” Henley reassured her with a smile as she flattened down Sutton’s hair. “I’m not saying I’m happy to have found out from Danny,” she said with a glare toward the illusionist, “but I couldn’t be happier to see you smile like this.”

Sutton opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out. Instead, she just shook her head, a smile pulling at the edges of her lips.

“Do you really love him, Sut?” Henley smiled. Sutton nodded her head furiously. “And this isn’t just you being under some spell of Danny’s?” All the Horsemen laughed, the group coming together for one big hug.

Danny cleared his throat as the group released their hug. “So, um, can we go find-“

“Lead the way, control freak!” Merritt gestured for Danny.

The group walked together for a few minutes, not a single sign of why they were instructed to go to Central Park.

“What if all this was just leading up to us getting mugged in Central Park at 2:00 a.m.?” Merritt questioned as the Horsemen rounded a tree.

“No, I’m tell you we’re right where we need to be,” Danny confidently told him. Sutton turned as she held onto Danny’s hand. “We just have to find-”

“That?” Sutton and Henley interrupted, smiles emerging across their faces as the boys turned.

“The Lionel Shrike tree,” Danny spoke, his excitement evident in his voice. He smiled at Sutton who gave him a small kiss on the cheek.

“And the card encased in glass,” Henley added.

“What do we do now?” Merritt asked, stating the question they were all thinking.

Henley slowly removed her tarot card from her back pocket, the others mimicking her. The Lover card flew with a snap to the High Priestess. The Hermit next, and then Death. The Tower finished the stack of five off.

“Move it across the card, Hen,” Sutton nudged her. Henley nodded, doing as Sutton encouraged. The card illuminated, a blue glow taking over the king of spades.

“Oh, nice!” Merritt smirked.

Just then, carousel music began to play. The heads of the five Horsemen snapped in the direction of the catchy toon as the lights burst on. As though the horses were powered by song, they began to move.

Sutton bit her lip, smiling at Danny. “What are we waiting for?” With that, the team made their move, traveling over toward the mysterious carnival ride. As they stepped closer, the Horsemen were welcomed by a familiar face, yet shocked beyond belief.