ACT I
Epigraph
"Come in close…closer. Because the more you think you see, the easier it'll be to fool you. Because what is seeing? You're looking but what you're really doing is filtering, interpreting, searching for meaning. My job? To take that most precious of gifts you give to me - your attention - and use it against you." ~ J. Daniel Atlas
"We found Wonderland, you and I got lost in it. And we pretended it could last forever. We found Wonderland, you and I got lost in it. And life was never worse, but never better." ~ Taylor Swift, Wonderland
ACT I
CHAPTER ONE
A LITTLE MORE JUSTICE
NEW YORK
"Hey everyone! You ready for some magic?" the dark-blond haired 23 year old asked inside the bar.
Motorcyclists, beer-drinkers, cops, judges, and even the mayor hollered and cheered as she made her way onto the small platform. The black high-heeled boots she wore that ran up to her knees on her 5'6" frame, clacked along the wooden floor. The men in the room whistled as she took off her top hat which accessorized her strapless black taffeta dress that swept just below her mid-thigh. She threw the hat behind stage, but not before she extracted a long, thick black wand from it.
Glancing between the wand and the crowd, she questioned, "Do you guys honestly think I need this?"
"No!" the crowd shouted back.
She forced a smile, and continued with the magic show, doing a few card tricks. Even though, she hated doing this, it was giving her money to feed herself. By eleven o'clock, it was time for the finale.
"Now for my final act, I'm going to burn someone's money," she announced. "Who's willing to be my volunteer?"
There was hesitation in the men's eyes as they turned to one another, unsure of what would happen. However, one brave soul stood up…the mayor of the town. A corrupt man, to say the least, taking more money from the townspeople than what he actually needed and giving it to "charity". In other words, he put the money aside for a rainy day to buy himself earthly goods. Some of the goods included: a plane; several electronics; new property; and even a few businesses.
He owned half the town in a manner of speaking. The reason he found himself going on stage was the fact that he simply wanted to waste a little money. He had enough of it to spend on a few drinks (meaning of course probably two to four), so what was the harm in handing money to the young magician? In the back of his mind; however, he knew she wouldn't be able to actually burn his money, she wouldn't be that stupid.
As he walked onto the platform, he failed to notice the growing smirk of the young girl, who offered her hand to help him.
"What's your name, sir?" she inquired.
"Bill," the mayor answered.
"Bill Clinton?" the magician asked, jokingly. The audience laughed a little before she resumed.
"Well, Bill. Are you ready for me to burn some of your money?"
"I guess," Mayor Bill Jones shrugged.
She smiled brightly before she held out her hand saying, "How 'bout 20 bucks? That seem fair?"
He reached into his back pocket, pulling out his wallet. Instead of a 20, he gave her an even 200 with two $100 bills. "Wow, sir. You are very generous," she said with wide hazel eyes.
He cracked a smile, cockily as she folded the two bills in half.
"Now Bill, I want you to tell me what you think is going to happen to your money."
"Well, I think you're going to put some alcohol and salt on my money, and then set it on fire, but not so it'll burn," he stated, simply.
"Hmm, not bad, not bad. You do some debunking in your time?"
He shrugged, "A little."
She chuckled, "A little? So, you're saying that these", she holds up the dollar bills between her index and middle fingers, "won't catch fire, and burn, if I don't put some alcohol and salt on them?"
The older man thinks about it, before he nods. She snaps her fingers once. No one expected the money to actually burn in between her fingers, which is what made the trick worth it. The money lit up with orange and yellow flames, causing the mayor to flinch back in shock, realizing she is truly burning his money. He lunges forward to catch his money, but she drops it to the ground where it burns up completely, disappearing altogether.
He stared down at the floor before glaring back up at the petite woman in front of him. "Why, you little-" he began, but she wagged her finger back and forth, making a 'tsk' sound.
"I don't appreciate that language, Mr. Mayor. This is for your own good, I don't think you need all that money in your vault, right? So, I'm gonna do you a favor and give it back to these poor people."
Before the Mayor could retort, the room exploded with dollar bills coming out of every crook and cranny.
"Oh! Oh my! Is that-Is that your money, Mr. Mayor?" she said in mock shock, placing her hand over her cheek.
The mayor lunged forward, but found himself unable to, due to his foot being chained to the platform.
"Well, that's unfortunate for you. So I can thankfully say that there's a little more justice in the world now, eh? Au revoir, Monsieur Jones!" With that said, she blew him a kiss as smoke slipped from the cracks in the floor, twisting and turning around her figure before smoke completely enveloped her, leaving not a trace of the magician around.
However, the dark-blond made her way out the backdoor of the club, casually walking down the street, with a cautious hand on her purse. Down the alleyway, she accidentally bumped into a man in a blue hoodie. "Sorry," she apologized graciously to the man. She quickly hailed a cab before seating herself inside the vehicle in the bustling city of New York City.
As she sat down, she noticed a tarot card in the pocket of her bag. "Well, hello there. How'd you get in here?" she mumbled quietly to it, taking hold of the card. It read 'Justice' on it, and when she turned it on the other side it had the Eye of Horus with an address below.
"The Eye," she whispered with wide hazel eyes.
"What was that?" the old man driving the taxi asked politely.
"Oh, nothing, just some guy's phone number," she lied simply as she continued reading and re-reading the card from front to back.
March 29
4:44 PM
45 East Evan St
NY, NY