By: Shirley Ann Burton
Part 1
In the middle of the night,
within the confines of the Magic Express, someone was having major sleeping
problems. A young woman was having a bad dream and tossed and turned in
her bed.
Within her mind, she
was running away from three people and a black panther. Continuing to stay
ahead of her pursuers, she kept saying, "I'm sorry" over and over again.
When she was cornered
in a dead-end alley, she turned to face the chasers. "What's going on here?
Why is this happening to me?"
When the chasers came
out of the shadows, a woman with green eyes and red hair yelled, "I haven't
been able to spend as much time with Ace because of you! You've suddenly
become more important than me!"
"That's not all, sister!"
shouted an angry teenage boy with red hair and blue eyes. "I can't become
a magician as long as you're around! You think you're so special,
but I've been with Ace a lot longer than you ever will! It's like
I became second fiddle!"
The young woman shuddered
with tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean for any of this to happen."
The third person, a gentleman
with blue eyes and jet-black hair with a white streak on the sides and
back and a tuft on top of his head, came forward and angrily stated, "'Sorry'
isn't good enough, Angie. I've lost valuable time with them because I have
to train you, but that's going to end right here, right now!" He
then turned to the panther. "Zina,
attack!"
Zina was about to slash
Angie when out of nowhere a male voice yelled, "Angie, wake up, now!"
She suddenly jolted out
of bed and screamed. Breathing very heavily, she faced the man who had
awakened her. "Ace?"
With a worried look in his
blue eyes, he tried to comfort his friend. "I saw everything in your nightmare.
Why in heaven's name would I send Zina to attack you?"
Able to breathe regularly
again, she answered, "Ace, there's something I just have to know. Am I
getting in your way?"
"What!?" exclaimed a very
surprised Magician. "Why would you think something like that?"
"Think about it. Ever since
I got here more than a year ago, you've put almost all your efforts into
helping me master my magical powers. I know for a fact you haven't had
a date with Mona for over three weeks. Also, I know Cosmo wants to
be a magician, too. I wonder if I am interfering with
you." She then started to cry.
Ace felt the pain in her
heart and gave her a comforting hug. "Angie, no. You're not interfering
with us. You are the kindest, most gentle person I've ever known. You always
put your efforts into helping other people, and I admire that in you. You
have so much spirit, which has made Cosmo, Mona, and me much stronger.
You're a little sister to all of us, and I don't want that to change."
Just then, Cosmo and Zina
came into the room.
"Dude, what happened?"
"Angie had a terrible nightmare
about us being angry at her, and we were all chasing her."
"Why would we be angry at
you, Angie?"
"I think I'm taking something
away from all of you."
With a shocked look on his
face, Cosmo said, "Not on your life! I think you've given something to
all of us. You're always helping out, making sure we're all okay. In all
honesty, you've enriched us all with your presence, and you'll always be
special not because of your magic but because of your kindness and love."
He then sat to her left and held her hand. "I don't want you to leave here.
You're too special to lose."
"Thank you, Cosmo." She
hugged him with tears of joy. "I just have to remember not to deal with
anything by myself."
"That's right," agreed Ace.
"You're not alone, remember? We'll always be here for you, like you've
been for us."
"Thanks, guys." Angie cleaned
her face of the tears she had spilled from her eyes. "I think I'll be all
right now, but Ace, I want you to go on a lunch date with Mona tomorrow."
"But, my show's tomorrow
night—"
"No buts, Ace. You need
to spend some time with Mona, so talk to her in the morning and arrange
to have lunch at the most posh restaurant in Lazaro City."
"All right, Angie. If you
really feel that way, I'll do it. Now, try to get some sleep."
"Okay." She got back under
the covers and said, "Good night." She then fell asleep.
Ace whispered, "Good night,
Angie."
When the two gentlemen walked
out of the room, Ace started to feel very worried. "Cosmo, have you come
to notice something about Angie?"
"What do ya mean, dude?"
"She's been so helpful to
us, but she never asks for anything in return or anything she really wants."
"Come to think of it, you're
right. I think the only thing she's ever received is my old mini-disc
player I gave her when she first arrived here."
Ace closed his eyes to concentrate
on Angie's heart. "She feels she's obligated to help us without asking
for anything in return. She's lived with that for her entire life,
but she doesn't believe she deserves anything. Angie does think about
others but almost never thinks about herself. I know she still believes
her gift is a curse at times."
"You think she'll be okay?"
"I hope so, Cosmo.
I really hope so."
The next day, as everyone in the Express was awake, Ace and Mona agreed on a lunch date to the exquisite E-Z Sands Café.
"Yes, Ace did tell me your father is a cop, and sometimes they can go a little overboard in protecting their kids."
"I know I'm happier here than at home. You realize you're staying with two former delinquents, right?"
"Of course I do, silly. It's not the past that matters, though. It's the here-and-now that's more important. I may have been raised in a different manner than you and Ace, but I can call the Magic Express my home now. For that, I'll always be grateful. I just wish I knew why I can't focus on my magic right now."
Cosmo decided to leave the room to give her a chance to think. "I want to do something to help her, but what can I do? She has magical powers; I don't."
When he came into his workshop, he decided to turn on the local radio station.
On the radio he heard, "Hey, this is Randy Rocker, here for your lunch hour requests. Call the station and ask if you want to hear a tune, or dedicate a tune to a friend. Even if you don't know what song you really want, call anyway, and we'll do our best to help out."
Cosmo then activated the vid-phone and dialed up the radio station.
"Hello, KLZO. Randy Rocker speaking. What can I do for you today?"
"Well, there's a friend of mine who's been feeling down lately, and I'm worried about her. I'd like to dedicate a song to her, but I don't even know where to begin."
"Relax, friend. I said we'd do our best to help out here. Now, what's wrong with your friend?"
"She knows she has friends who love her, but a part of her still believes she's completely alone."
"All right. I think I can give you a perfect tune without having to type in anything for a search. There's a song from the year 2000 called 'Crash and Burn' by the group Savage Garden. Don't be misled by the title; it's a tune about feeling alone."
"I think that's perfect for her. Could you play it?"
"I'll play it next thing."
"Thanks a lot. I just hope this'll help her."
"Trust me, pal. This song is a true inspirational piece."
Angie was still in the practice room. She sat in a chair near a piece of equipment, which Ace would be using for the show later in the evening.
Cosmo came into the room and said, "Hey, turn on the radio station KLZO. I think you'll like what they're playing."
She was a little confused but went ahead and turned on the radio. "I don't understand what he's trying to do."
Randy Rocker then came on. "Hey, here's a good tune for the soul. Someone wants to dedicate a song to a friend, a friend who has others who care about her but has a piece of her not believing it."
Then, she started hearing the words to the song. "When you feel all alone, and the world has turned its back on you, give me a moment, please, to tame your wild, wild heart . . ."
Angie had remembered hearing that song before, at her parents' funeral after they were killed in their car accident. The song gave her strength to continue her dreams and her life then, and it was beginning to do it to her again.
She walked up to Cosmo and gave him a hug of friendship. "Thank you, Cosmo. I know that tune by heart, as it's always been a source of inner strength. How did you know about what song—"
"Actually, I didn't. Randy Rocker determined that from the way I was describing how you were feeling. From that, he figured out just what song you should hear."
"Cosmo, I don't know what to say to you but thanks. You, Ace, Mona, Zina, Angel, Ashley, and all the others really are the best friends I've had in my life. If only I knew why some part of me wants to deny that fact."
From behind a deep male voice said, "Maybe I can help you with that."
Ace and Mona returned from their lunch date.
"Why did you practice anyway, Angie? You know I'm performing solo tonight."
"I know. I wanted to practice . . . in order to try to get away from last night's bad dream. I couldn't do it."
"Practice or escape the nightmare?"
"Both."
"Angie, I—"
He was interrupted by Angel's appearance. "There is a young woman at the door."
"Okay. Angie, I want you to go to my room and start meditating. I'll join you as soon as I've finished with the visitor. Sound okay to you?"
"Sure, but I don't want to interfere with your practice, since you do have your show tonight."
"Don't worry. It won't be a problem."
Angie took off for Ace's room while he went to the door to see the visitor.
When the door opened, he noticed a teenage girl, the one who had followed him and Mona from the restaurant. "Hello, Miss. Can I be of any assistance?"
"Hello, Mr. Cooper. My name is Darlena Lowland. I'm a pretty good magician." She demonstrated by making a whole deck of cards appear from her hands and then transformed them all into crickets. "I was wondering if you would take me in as an apprentice."
Trying not to be rude, Ace kindly said, "I'm sorry, Miss Lowland. I'm afraid I don't have enough room for a third apprentice. I've already got two good ones I'm working with now. I wish I could do more to help you, but there isn't enough room or time. I hope you understand."
"I understand, Mr. Cooper," she said in an innocent tone of voice. "Thanks anyway."
After Ace went back inside and the door closed, Darlena started walking away, but her face started to grow angry. "He doesn't understand. I'm better at magic than Angela Jacobs could ever be. I deserve to be working with the Magician, not her. Maybe I can convince him for sure after his show tonight."
Before he went to his room to join Angie in meditation, Mona stopped him and asked, "What was that all about, Ace?"
"Oh, just someone else who wants to jump on the apprentice bandwagon. I've already got the two best apprentices possible, so I kindly apologized to her and said I couldn't take in another apprentice. Now, I can sense Angie's already in her meditative state, so I'm going to join her and see if I can help figure out what's wrong."
Upon entering his room, he noticed his younger counterpart taking deep breaths and having her eyes closed to concentrate. "Angie, I'm here," Ace said to her telepathically.
"Thanks, Ace. Maybe you can help me with this problem of mine."
He then sat down across from her and took both hands. Closing his eyes, he meditated with Angie to help her get to the source of the problem. "Angie, I'm beginning to see something forming in my mind. I believe . . . it's you and Ashley in a room together. Is this after you had saved her life with your magic?"
"Yes, it is." The younger magician sent the images of the time after the dramatic rescue into Ace's mind.
In the lodge, Ashley closed
the door to their room while Angie sat on her bed, more nervous than ever
after what she had done just a couple of hours earlier that day, saving
her best friend from death the way she did.
"I can't believe it,"
said Ashley in a tone of slight excitement. "My best friend is a
magician or something."
Angie quickly responded,
"No, I'm not. I'm just lucky to have been there when I was.
It's not magic or anything."
"The way you're sounding,
I think you've done this before, haven't you?"
"Actually, twice before.
I saved Dad with this power when a power line almost hit the ladder he
was standing on. That was when I was just seven years old."
"You've known about this
since you were seven!? That's about ten years! When was the
other time you used this gift?"
Trying not to face her
friend with teary eyes, Angie answered, "It was four years later, at a
ranch not too far from Mason City. When a bull broke out of its pen,
I learned there were kids playing right in its path. My powers suddenly
kicked in again when I knew those kids were in danger. I was able
to enlist the aid of a wild horse that was fast enough to catch up to the
bull. I was able to keep the bull about a mile away from those kids."
Turning to face Ashley, she added, "This is the first time in six years
I've used my powers again."
"You said it only comes
to light when your concern for someone's safety becomes extremely great."
"Right. For some
strange reason, it knows . . . or senses my feelings. It knows I
want to rescue the people in trouble; that's when my power becomes present
within my heart. Until now, I've never told anyone about this
secret."
Ashley became surprised.
"Wait a minute! You mean you haven't told your parents about this
yet?"
Shaking her head in fear,
Angie answered, "No way! I can't tell them. They'll reject
me or something, think of me as some sort of freak who belongs in a circus."
"Angie, that's not true,"
her best friend said while placing a right hand on her shoulder.
"They're your parents. They love you no matter what you are or what
you have. Look at me. I'm from a wealthy family, but Mr. and
Mrs. Jacobs see me as a kindhearted person who cares, not a person who
has a lot of money. I wish I could live with you and your parents
because I want to feel like a wealthy person, and money does not
buy happiness.
"However, you mustn't
keep your parents in the dark about this. You've got to tell them
the truth, and I want you to do it immediately when we get home."
Angie became frighteningly
nervous. "No! I can't tell them the truth, not this soon!"
"All right, one week,
then."
"No, we both have term
papers to work on when we get back." Angie thought intently about
what to do in this strange situation. "I've got it. The final
deadline for this will be graduation night. Fair enough to you?"
Ashley thought it to
be a good idea. "It's a deal. You have to tell your parents
the truth no later than the night we graduate. To make sure
you keep your word, I'm going to be at your house that night."
"At least," Angie started
with a sigh of relief, "I'll have plenty of time to figure out what I want
to say to them about this strange power of mine."
Seeing all this in his mind,
Ace understood the promise Angie had made to her best friend. "So,
you were able to tell Ashley the truth without being afraid because you
cared about her as a real sister. You were going to tell your parents,
but then came that accident, which forced you to hide your secret further
from everyone else."
Angie, with tears coming
from her closed eyes, responded by thought, "Yes. I was very fortunate
not to have had to use my magic at all during college. I barely had
any friends at that time because I devoted the time to studying to escape
both my parents' deaths and the fear of this magical power."
Ace opened his eyes and
looked at her sadly. "Angie, come here."
She reached out and hugged
her friend in a warm embrace. "I'm sorry, Ace."
"It's all right, Angie.
I know it's been hard on you. You basically suffered what I did at
about your age: the fear of this power. You understood what
I went through when you helped me in Japan with Sailor Moon and her friends.
Now I understand you much better. Just remember, we're all here for
you. Don't feel like you're completely alone because you're not.
Your mother and father would be very proud of you for being the person
you are. I'm proud of you, too."
Releasing the hug, Angie
dried her eyes and smiled at her friend. "Thanks, Ace. I think
I'm finally beginning to understand I'm not as alone as the part of me
wants to believe, but that part will still believe it from time to time."
"That's okay. Sometimes
even I can doubt myself about having friends, but believe me, the friends
you have will always be there for you, no matter what happens." Changing
the subject, the Magician said, "Now, it's my turn to practice for the
show tonight. Why don't you watch some TV in the living room?"
"Maybe that'll get my mind
off things for now," said a contented Angie. "Who knows, maybe I
can find something to get people for Christmas."
The two magicians left Ace's
room as he took off for the practice room to finalize his act for that
evening, and she went to the living room to watch television.
On the television set, Angie
watched her favorite game show, The Price Is Right, and noticed
the array of great prizes. Guessing the prices of a car and a bedroom
suite, she was always excited when the contestant would get it right and
feel sorry for someone who did not quite get the correct price.
Mona, who was in the kitchen
starting preparations for dinner, heard Angie's excited voice and decided
to go see what she was doing.
During the commercials,
Angie came to notice a pair of beautiful but expensive sneakers.
"I'd love to get those one day because the colors really stand out."
Mona took an opportunity
to grab a piece of paper and a pen to write down everything Angie really
wanted, which soon included a new dress, some mini-discs of the hottest
groups, and an exquisite necklace with a heart locket.
Angie then noticed something
else. "Wow," she whispered, "what a pretty piece of art that is.
I'd love to have it—" She suddenly stopped herself in her train of
thought and got visibly upset. "What the heck am I doing!?
I don't—I can't ask for any of these things! If I do, it'll make
me selfish and greedy. No, I will not ask for anything, not as long
as I'm here with my friends. That's asking too much, and I don't
want to be a freeloader!"
Mona had her list of items
completed when she heard her friend's reaction. "Poor Angie.
I know there's the adage, 'It is better to give than to receive,' but in
this case, she gives so much and never receives anything in return.
She doesn't feel she deserves anything. Ace was right, and now I'm
worried, too." She decided to join Angie in the living room.
"Hi, Angie."
"Oh, hi, Mona. You
probably heard me getting upset about the stuff I saw, right?"
"Yes, I did. I won't
ask any questions about it, but you're being way too hard on yourself.
You can't spend your whole life worrying about other people around you.
You have to be able to give a little time and love to yourself."
"I can't do that, Mona.
Mom and Dad never did, and I'm not about to do that either."
"That's not possible," Mona
said while looking straight at Angie. "When they were growing up,
their parents probably understood that children have a right to think about
themselves and love themselves as long as they don't think of themselves
too much. There's a precious balance between thinking about others
and thinking about yourself. You can live a life where being a little
selfish isn't bad."
"You may believe that, Mona,
but for some reason, I don't. The safety and concern for my friends
must override anything I want in life. I can't just go and think
about the things I want without affecting everyone else. I'm sorry,
Mona, but that's just the way I am." Angie then stepped away and
left Mona wondering.
"I can't understand why
she won't listen to me. My father allows me to be the person I am
without affecting him too much. It's almost like she doesn't want
to accept herself because she spent her life always worrying for the welfare
of others who were less fortunate than she was. If only there was
something I could do to make her be able to be happy with herself.
She's enjoyed helping others but won't get anything back for it.
I just don't know what to do at this point."
Angie decided to step out
of the Magic Express and walk around the city, since she had never really
seen what Lazaro City looked like. Absorbing the view of all the
buildings, she was impressed by the architecture. "It has its own
style to distinguish itself from looking too much like Electro City.
It's a nice place."
She then came to notice
a flyer on a light pole. "It says, 'Be sure to attend the Party Carnival
out in the desert. It's the largest carnival of this kind, attracting
hundreds of thousands of people from around the world every year.'" Angie
wondered if she could ask Ace to make a stop at this festival before their
return to Electro City. "Yeah, why not? Maybe they have one
of those double Ferris wheel rides. It's hard to believe that ride
can still exist in the 21st Century. I guess when a lot
of people like a classic ride like that, it can be around for hundreds
of years."
She continued looking around
the city until she heard a cry for help. Using her sensitive hearing,
she ran to the source of the problem: two young criminals were trying
to steal money from an older woman's purse, and she was cornered in an
alley.
"Give us the money, Grandma!"
yelled one of the hooligans.
The elderly woman pleaded,
"No, please, I have to use this money to get my groceries."
The other crook took out
a knife and shouted, "Hand over the dough, old timer!"
Angie knew she would never
allow this to happen. Feeling the power within her heart, she put
her right arm forward and magically changed the knife into a dove.
The two crooks were shocked
at what had happened and turned to face the person who had done it.
"How dare you do that!"
yelled crook #2. "That was my dad's Swiss Army knife!"
"I assume you stole it from
your father, didn't you?" Angie asked angrily.
The first crook stared at
her and said, "Just who do you think you are?"
"Right now, that's not important.
Leave her alone."
"You don't tell us what
to do, little girl! This is our turf, and we take what we want!"
"Not from someone who's
defenseless, you don't! What's the matter with you two, anyway?
Stealing money from an elderly person who probably needs it. Don't
you have any pride?"
"Yeah, we do," said the
second crook. "We're both proud to take anything, money, stuff, whatever."
Angie stared at the pair
and said, "If this is your idea of pride, then I feel pity for you."
"Save your pity for the
weak, baby! You're going down now!"
As the two thieves ran towards
Angie, she closed her eyes and felt the magic flowing through her from
head to toe. Glowing in her aura of light blue, she extended both
arms out to the sides and suddenly yelled,
"Freeze!"
Amazingly, the two crooks
suddenly stopped in their place.
"What the heck's goin' on
here!?" yelled the first crook. "I can't move a muscle!"
As the second looked at
her with fright in his eyes, he questioned, "How in the world can you do
this?"
"Sorry, pal," Angie started
to answer, "but a magician will never reveal her secrets."
Just then, a Lazaro City
police officer came to the scene. "Say, what happened here?"
The elderly woman came up
to the officer and replied, "This young lady just saved my life.
These two young monsters were trying to steal my money when she came along."
Taking a closer look at
her, the officer knew who she was. "I don't believe it! Angela
Jacobs, training magician under Ace Cooper!"
The two crooks finally realized
her identity.
"Aw, man!" yelled the first
crook. "She's one of those two crimefighting magicians from Electro
City."
The officer smiled and said,
"That's right. Good thing she showed up when she did." He then looked
at Angie and asked, "Um, will I be able to put handcuffs on them?"
"Sure. Just move their
arms down to the point where you can use the cuffs. I'll make sure
they get to your police vehicle without incident."
A few minutes later, the
two criminals were in the back seat of the officer's car.
"Miss Jacobs," said the
officer, "thank you for your help. We've been trying to catch these
two for about three months now. I would love to give you an award."
Angie shook her head and
said, "No award is necessary. Just being able to help someone in
trouble is more than enough for me."
"I understand." Getting
into the car, he added, "Thanks again, Miss Jacobs." He then drove
off with the pair towards the police station.
The elderly person looked
at Angie and said, "How can I ever repay you for your kindness?"
"You don't have to, ma'am.
As long as you have the money to get those groceries, that's enough for
me, really."
"You mean you don't accept
any rewards at all?"
"I've never really done
that in my life. I've always been a person who believes in giving
more than receiving. Thank you, anyway." She then looked at
her watch. "Uh-oh, I need to get back to the Magic Express and cook
dinner for Ace before he performs tonight at the newly renovated Chrysalis
Arena. Are you sure you'll be all right?"
"Yes, I'll be fine now,
and so will the rest of this neighborhood because of what you were able
to do against those two. They had control of this area for a long
time, stealing money and goods, breaking into homes, and the like.
Now our neighborhood will be a little more peaceful thanks to you."
"Glad I could help.
I'd better go, though. So long."
As Angie walked away, the
elderly woman smiled and said to herself, "That's one incredible young
woman who knows how to defend herself and others pretty well. I hope
she'll be happy in her life."
Walking back, the female
magician smiled, as she knew she had done a good deed for someone again.
"I
feel great. I was able to help an elderly person keep her much needed
money."
Just then, a warm and rich
male voice entered her mind. "Great job, Angie, doing your part
to stop those two criminals."
"You saw it all?"
"Within my mind.
I'm proud to know you're using your magic to help other people."
"Just like you, my friend.
So, how did practice go?"
"It went very well.
I think I'm ready to perform at the Chrysalis tonight without a problem.
On your way home to cook?"
"Yeah. For dinner
tonight it's grilled chicken leg quarters, soft white rice, and some stew.
That should give you enough energy to get through your show this evening."
"Looking forward to it,
Angie. By the way, Mona told me about your getting upset when you
started desiring some things."
"I'm sorry I got upset
at her, Ace. I just don't feel like I should get anything back for
everything I've done. I just don't want to become selfish."
"Angie, I—Maybe we should
discuss this after my show tonight. We're all worried about you.
We're your friends, and we'll always be there for you."
"I didn't mean to get
you all worried."
"I sense you're thinking
you're a hindrance. You're not, and we won't let you accept that,
okay?"
"Okay, Ace. I'll
be home in about ten minutes to get that dinner started."
With that thought, she went
back to the Magic Express and started making the dinner for Ace and the
others.
Meanwhile, at a small apartment
in the heart of the city, Darlena was eating a hamburger from a fast food
restaurant. "I don't care what it takes. I want Mr. Cooper to realize
I'm far better than Angela Jacobs in magic. I'll sneak into
the Chrysalis while he's performing and make sure he listens to what I
have to say after his show. I am to be an apprentice to the greatest
magician in the world, not someone who starts at such an old age!
Some of the tricks she does are so old I can't stand it! I'll show
him some of my more advanced tricks, and then he'll send that loser packing
once and for all."
Finishing her hamburger,
she then went to her bedroom and got dressed for the show. She did
not have a ticket for Ace's performance, but she did not care.
She then left her apartment
and headed to the Chrysalis Arena in the hope she would somehow make Ace
Cooper listen to her. She had every intention on getting Angie out
of the Magician's team once and for all.