The Magician laughed hysterically, her cloak flailing behind her as she ran through the building, chased by the hero, The Mind Mover, or more mundanely, Thomas.
Her breath caught, and her heart pounded in her ears!
Adrenaline rushed through her veins, and her scarred mouth pulled in a massive smile.
In exactly 30 minutes, The Magician was about to pull off history's greatest magic trick.
To make a whole, giant, building, disappear!
Oh, how The Magician loved her fireworks, and these would be the best ones she had ever seen!
Besides, the building wasn't even finished, who'd care if it was gone?
No one, that was who!
She just needed to ensure she played with silly little Mind Mover a little longer.
The Magician clutched her stomach in laughter, feeling the cold night air whip past her as she ran into the abandoned building.
She felt like she was flying, she was so free!
Moonlight leaked through broken windows, adding a delightfully eery setting.
She quickly pressed her ring down a little further, so it wouldn't fall off.
It was so, so, very important.
She could hear the sounds of Thomas behind her, his breath was slower and easier than hers.
Well, he didn't have an extra one hundred pounds attached to him, now did he?!
"E-gads, get back here!" He said with a sigh, making her grin, as she quickly turned up the stairs.
Her shoes clicked as she did, and she looked over the unfinished and broken walls, to see the most beautiful sky.
She ensured she didn't fall through the cracked and broken wooden stairs--wouldn't want her heels falling off!
She heard him grunt as she practically flew up the stairs, delight and adrenaline flowing through her veins like a drug.
Such a beautiful feeling!
She couldn't think of anything better!
It would ease her pain...make it easier to ignore.
Then the Magician yelped, almost tripping over her high-heeled boots when she felt The Mind Mover trying to use his telekinetic powers on her.
Too bad it took such a huge amount of strength!
"Silly me must have left my weights in my cloak!"
In her glance backward she saw him sweating, practically able to see his pulse, and that only made her lips creep up even more.
"Cheating isn't allowed in my game, Thomas!"
Her annoying voice screeched from a distance In The Mind Mover's ears.
He slowed down slightly, exhausted from his effort.
If she wasn't the most annoying person he had ever met, he had no idea who was.
Seriously, if she was this annoying, why couldn't she at least have the common decency to be hateable?
"I bet if you were better at your Telekineses you wouldn't be tired right now!"
"That's... not how it works."
"Excuses, excuses!"
The Mind Mover laughed tiredly, still sprinting to try and catch her, the wind whipping at his face, even though he could barely see the hint of her pitch-dark cloak in the moonlight.
But he stayed very, very, careful because he tended to always end up being in her vanishing acts, by sending him launching into a trap door.
She was a silly girl.
But she was a relief from the death, and the murderers and killers... he didn't stop in time.
That he wasn't good enough to stop in time.
He...always...had nightmares.
But the crazy Magician, with a gun that only shot out a flag with the word "BANG" on it...she wasn't evil.
She actually--she reminded The Mind Mover of his little sister.
Someone who wasn't saved.
Someone who he didn't help in time.
He knew why she wore that ring, now, just like his sister...she had lost...everything...
But his sister, she hadn't--she hadn't taken it out on other people.
But The Magician was still there, he could help her like he couldn't help his sister!
He could do that, right?
That was what heroes were for!
Even if he couldn't save everyone, even if he couldn't save his sister, he could still save her!
Right?!
He had to!
He...he had to.
The Magician's smile briefly twisted into a grimace, her whole body ached from running, and each breath hurt.
But she was used to working on adrenaline, and adrenaline alone, considering she almost never slept!
Unfortunately, she wasn't used to it enough, considering she could hear The Mind Mover gaining on her.
Oh, but she couldn't be caught yet, this was far too fun.
So she took a sharp turn, feet aching very slightly from doing it all in heels, into a different room.
Only this one...she had installed a few new features.
She caught herself on the broken wall, nearly twisting her ankle, then kept running, until The Mind Mover was right where she wanted him to be.
She waited, her breath catching, lips stretched in a grin until he was right on her heels.
She saw the moonlight dance on his face and his hero's suit.
"Abrakadabra!" She shouted, waving her wand.
Quickly, almost un-noticeably, she grabbed to hidden handles for secret compartments she had installed before.
It released in a burst of confetti, and several tightly strung together rainbow
The Magician giggled like a girl, tipped her top hat, and blew him a kiss.
She threw a smoke bomb and was about to take off through a trap door, faster than he could use his telekinetic power.
It was a tunnel outside so she could have a head start to watch the fireworks!
But then something she hadn't prepared for happened.
"Lucy Gray...stop."
Her smile dropped in an instant like it had never been.
And she stopped in her tracks, her eyes widening as she slowly turned around to face him.
He had the same somber look on his face she had seen once before.
"What did you say?" Her voice, so excited and manic went down to a whisper.
He couldn't know her name!
She barely even knew her name anymore...let alone him...
And that...that shouldn't have been her last name.
It should have been Robinson, not her father's, not the man who hated her.
Her memories were supposed to be compartmentalized, locked away.
No!
She didn't want to remember!
She wanted to be The Magician, a woman with no name, and no past.
Not Lucy Gray someone who had lost...lost her last name.
Chaos had to replace the family she never had.
It would fill in the holes left in her, wouldn't it?
"Lucy Gray, that's your name, right?" He spoke in a very gentle tone, slowly walking forward.
His eyes were soft and kind, he was looking at her like he looked at his sister.
She cou
She whimpered softly, taking a brief step backward.
She remembered being so excited...she was laughing and he was laughing too, his gentle hand wrapped around hers.
And why wouldn't they be happy?
It was their big day after all...
She touched her ring without thinking, but it was just one lone ring, not complete without the other.
"Lucy...he'd have wanted you to have hel--"
"Quiet!" She whispered, panting, hand at her heart, wishing it didn't hurt to breathe.
The Magician was happy, always so, so happy.
Lucy had nothing, no family, no one who loved her--nothing.
So why would she ever want to be Lucy again?
And maybe the magician was the real her--the her she wanted to be at least!
The perfect version of her, the version that never hurt!
She wiped away her tears, she couldn't cry, if she cried it was real.
He was walking slowly towards her, like cornering a caged animal.
He looked at the pain in her green eyes, it was a pain so deep and so awful it was almost despair.
"Come here," he ordered gently, closer to her than she had realized.
The Magician laughed unsteadily, finally snapping her out of it.
She turned, flicking her cape to try and run through her trap door...but she was to late.
He grabbed her by the wrist and she felt something sharp stab into her...then it all...went...black....
ns 15.158.61.40da2
