Hey, everyone! Welcome to my first ever Now you see me story.

I have read quite a few stories from here and not many focus on my favorite character Merritt. So I'm here to change that by writing up a few story ideas I have come up with that all focus on him!

(I must admit, I'm quite nervous to post this.)

Just to say I am open to constructive criticism, but rude reviews or flames will not be tolerated under any circumstances.

So if you're a Merritt fan or was just interested in this little nugget of a story (so far) then I hope you enjoy!

"The mini McKinney's?"

"Yeah."

Those very words had marked the beginning of what was going to become a fame-filled, life changing journey.

"Come on bro, think about it." Chase had said. "Me and you putting our faces out there, making a name for ourselves within the face of fortune. Showing off the talent that any old average person couldn't. Not to mention proving mom and dad wrong."

That was the thing about Chase, he always knew how to sweet talk him into doing whatever he desired. Whether it was something small like wanting the chocolate bar Merritt had, to convincing him to steal some cash off of their parents. Whatever it was he was always able to grab a particular weak spot, then cling onto it until his demands were met.

For Merritt that weak spot had always been family.

Family was the main focus of his life for many years, even when he and Chase were just kids nothing else mattered as long as he had his family. Although, the Mckinney's weren't the typically happy ones shown on TV adverts that most kids would hope for. All it took was an unintentionally badly timed occurrence to see it for themselves.

It had all started during a normal Sunday afternoon with an innocently asked question by Chase to their dad, 'do you love mom?' His reaction wasn't the typical, of course, I do, or the mommy and daddy will always love each other. Instead, all they got in response was a simple yes, along with a muttered phrase which neither child could understand. Even though they were only six at the time, that didn't mean they weren't able to pick up on the unusual, but as an equally scary vibe, that sentence provided.

That very afternoon continued to haunt the older Mckinney twin throughout the night, Merritt could sense Chase felt it too. That was one of the many perks of having a twin, one being the comfort of knowing your sibling was more or less thinking the exact same thing at the same time. Another being you were able to experience things that normal siblings wouldn't.

Ever since that day Merritt and Chase would spend most of their time observing their father. Watching his every move and listening closely to each and every word he spoke. Pointing out the little details from the twitching of his facial features to the way he fidgeted when asked simple questions.

Within days of having started the process, those secret night time talks soon became daily discussions, new pieces of evidence were discovered nearly every week, which only lead to the Mckinney's being one step further to finding out the truth.

Then there was the killer which brought all of the Mckinney twins theories to life. It was just days after their seventh birthday when the sounds of a woman laughing could be heard from the living room, and whoever it was, certainly wasn't their mother.

Truth be told Merritt had expected this to happen sooner or later, even if he did feel a hint of surprise that he had been correct on so many things, so soon, and at such a young age.

But the one thing that really tugged at his heart was the way Chase had turned to look at him at that very moment. A sorrowful facial expression displayed for only Merritt to see. Looks like we were right all this time, was the thought that raced through both their minds.

Neither twin felt it right to speak until that night when Chase jumped onto his older brother's bed, eager to tell him something as he shoved a poster in front of Merritts' face. He had a strange habit of just appearing when he least expected it.

"You know, I've been wanting to find out about how you were able to figure out so much about dad. Then I came across this poster about something called Mentalism, it includes everything you were able to do. People with these kinds of skills are called mentalists."

"A what?" Merritt had questioned, unsure of what Chase was trying to tell him.

" A mentalist. Come on bro, if you were able to figure out dad's bad secret by reading him, who knows what else you and I can discover?"

As silly as it sounded, it was an idea Merritt wasn't totally against.

To gain more of an insight into the world of Mentalism, Merritt decided to explore it for himself. What he uncovered fascinated him. The hypnosis being the part that stood out to him the most. Maybe Chase had been right to tell him, after all, if he and his brother were to expose their father for what he was, hypnosis was the way to knock down his wall of lies.

For the next six months or so, Merritt and Chase now confident they had all the evidence they needed, instead, focused on getting to grips with hypnotism. Mostly on the very few friends that they had and total strangers.

They adored the way hypnotism seemed to open up so many doors to a person, just by delving into their mind. Their dreams, fears, desires, along with the hidden ugly secrets their facial expressions exposed into the out and open. Which in this case were the McKinney's eyes. The occasional order to do something hilariously silly as a kind of punishment wasn't unheard of.

At the age of eight was when the Mckinney twins finally got the courage to approach their parents. Unleashing everything they had witnessed over the course of nearly two years, to present the mendaciously dishonest hound of a man, a man of which didn't deserve the time of day.

Merritt had managed to put him in a state where whatever questions he and Chase asked him, he would speak the truth. Let's just say the outcome involved a lot of swearing and objects being damaged, as a result of the aftermath of their stunt.

Then in a matter of less than forty-eight hours, their dad had just got up and left, claiming what the kids had made him reveal was true. Leaving the twins to deal with their mother's drunken wrath of pure rage.

"This is all your fucking fault!" Was the roared insult tossed at them that very same day, along with the second empty bottle of red wine she had consumed that night, having landed just mere inches above their heads.

Merritt had vowed to himself that night to never be dragged down to that level of corruption.

Since then alcohol became their mother's dependency in order to live through life as despair caught up with her, which meant the Mckinney twins had to look after themselves. This lead to a pact between the brothers that they were to always have each others back, no matter what occurred in the future. As long as they had one another, the shit life hurled at them could go to hell.

So at the age of ten when they had finally had enough of watching their mother drown all traces of nurture or any morals she once had, the twins choose to start afresh by running away to focus on themselves and their lives together.

It had just come up to seven o'clock that very evening when the Mckinney twins had made their move to freedom. All they took with them was a few items of clothing, some food the small bags they used could carry and all the cash they could get their hands on. Not that their alcohol possessed mother would notice.

Before they knew it they were standing just inches from the building they once called home. Looking back to the stranger of a front door, Merritt tossed the spare house key they had found into the drain, both the brothers listening carefully to the loud splash as the key hit the water below them.

It wasn't until what seemed like an eternity of endless walking that they found a bus station only occupied by a couple of people. However, as they made a move towards the bus they intended to get on, they caught sight of the man who couldn't have been any older than his early forties driving the empty bus leaving to end his shift for the day.

"Hey, not so fast!" Chase had shouted, rushing over towards the man like a deranged animal that had just escaped from the zoo.

Grabbing the man by his arm, Chase yanked it so he had no option but to look at him in the eyes. "When I snap my fingers you will sleep at my command. Now sleep!"

When the man did nothing but give him an odd look in response, Chase huffed irritably.

"I said, sleep!" He then yelled, his frustration interfering with his ability or inability to hypnotize the man. Despite, them sharing the identical looks and voice if there was one difference between the two brothers it was their tolerance for unexpected failures. Chase had always been the one with a shorter fuse, while Merritt was more level headed about those kinds of situations.

It was then up to Merritt to take over if they were to be going anywhere that day.

As he Gently pushed his brother aside, Merritt went to stand in front of the man, face to face. "Look into my eyes, and sleep," was the calmly told command which sent the man flopping forward onto his left shoulder in a deep sleep. Chase watched his older brother with a slightly envious facial expression.

"When I snap my fingers you are going to take us to a hotel that is far away from here, which you will do for free." The lifeless man remained in a lolled position as Merritt whispered those exact words into his ear, making sure the man absorbed his instructions.

"And, wide awake!" The bus driver was then snapped back to reality, unaware of what had just happened between him and the McKinney twins.

"Fancy a ride to a hotel far away from here?"

The Mckinney brothers wordlessly nodded as they took their seats, a look of success shared between them.

Once the bus had begun to move away from their hometown, Merritt chose to spend the time looking out from the window. Watching as the remains of the lingering light faded into the rapid fall of the night.

Taking a second to glance over to his younger brother who was twiddling his thumbs to keep himself occupied, a heartwarming smile spread across his lips as he pictured themselves settling down somewhere, with mentalism as their reliable source of income.

Laying back with his arms tucked behind his head, that very same thought continued to race through his own mind, until he felt himself drift off to sleep.

So, any thoughts on how this first chapter has turned out?

Thanks for reading, much appreciated :)