Magic from the Heart Part 2

Ace paced around in the computer room, anxiously awaiting Cosmo's arrival.

Angel appeared and said, "Cosmo is now just five minutes away."

"Very well, Angel." He then called, "Zina?"

Through the door came a beautiful black panther with glowing eyes.

Ace kneeled down to the panther and said, "Okay, Zina, I want you to stand by in the living room and try to be friendly with Angela. Cosmo should be able to calm her down if she gets frightened seeing you for the first time."

He then looked at Angel and said, "Your job is to meet her in the hallway and then escort her into the training room, where I'll greet her with a special magic trick."

When he saw on the screen an approaching blip, he knew it was time. "All right, everyone take your positions."

Cosmo and Angela went through a tunnel and out the other side.

When he slowed down, she was a little surprised at what she saw. "Cosmo, this looks like the first two cars of a high-speed train."

Sure enough, it was the first two cars of a train: The top was white towards the front and grey in the back with a large topside window. The bottom was blue, and a red line was seen horizontally through the middle. Near the back was a yellow circle with a capital "M" in the middle of the circle.

Cosmo turned and said, "Yeah, that's right."

"You mean your friend's house is a train?"

"I told you he's a little offbeat."

"A little offbeat? Oh, never mind that. How do we get into this place?"

"By the garage door." Cosmo drove the motorbike around to the front of the train, where a huge door opened to let them in.

As soon as he parked the bike, they both took her luggage out of the storage compartment and walked upstairs into the living room.

Angela immediately noticed three unusual statues. "Wow!" she excitedly said. "Those statues are gorgeous. Do they belong to your friend, too?"

"Yeah, he's been to lots of places."

She stepped forward but suddenly stopped upon the sighting of something seemingly dangerous. "Cosmo," she said with her eyes wide in fear, "what is that?" Seeing a black panther so close to her, she stepped backwards, fearing it might attack her.

Cosmo said, "Take it easy. This is only Zina, my pal's pet."

"Your friend has a black panther for a pet?"

"Sure, just put your hand out."

She did so, and after the panther sniffed her hand, it started licking her hand. "What do you know," said Cosmo happily, "Zina likes you already."

"It sure looks that way," Angela said. She petted the animal and stated, "My apologies, Zina. I've never been so close to a black panther before, or any animal of this sort for that matter."

Cosmo asked her to leave the luggage in the living room and follow him into the hallway.

There, something popped up right in her face. "Hello, Angela."

"Oh, brother," the young lady said as she tried to follow the strange light around her. "Did this floating three-dimensional dodecahedron just say something to me?"

"Angela," said Cosmo, "say hello to Angel."

She looked at the hologram and asked, "Your name is Angel?"

"Yes," said the hologram. "I am just a small part of the main computer which runs this place."

"In other words," Angela noted, "your friend has a super computer, right, Cosmo?"

"Mm-hmm."

"Is this friend of yours some kind of all-around person?"

"You might say that."

Angel then spoke. "Would you please follow me?"

Both Cosmo and Angela went with the hologram into a very strange room, where many different devices, including the steel box, had been set up.

Angela was very curious about the home in general. "I swear, Cosmo, whoever your friend is, he's either a complete nutcase or a total eccentric. A recreational vehicle shaped as a train, a black panther for a pet, a super computer with a talking, floating dodecahedron, and all this stuff here."

She then noticed a piece of clothing on the floor. "Oh, dear, he must have forgotten about this coat." She picked up what she thought was a coat and hung it on a nearby coat rack. As she started walking back towards Cosmo, the coat started floating behind her!

Cosmo let out a heartfelt snicker at what was going on with his new friend.

"What's so funny?" she asked while noticing his odd behavior. He quickly pointed to something behind her. When she turned around, she saw the floating coat and screamed. "I don't believe this!" she yelled while running in fear. Getting behind Cosmo, she asked, "Is your friend a ghost?"

"No, but he does like to surprise people."

The coat suddenly went limp and fell back to the floor.

Angela's nerves were completely on edge. "What is this place, a fright-filled funhouse?"

"No," a deep male voice said. "It's called the Magic Express." The coat floated again, but after two quick spins, a gentleman emerged in a complete outfit. He was a fairly tall gentleman, about six feet, with deep blue eyes and jet-black hair, except for a white streak from the sides around the back and a small tuft on top of his head. The coat was actually a cape, and the rest of the outfit was fairly decent: dark-colored sportcoat, dark-colored pants with yellow streaks on the sides, a purple cummerbund, a white dress shirt, and white gloves. "You must be Angela Jacobs," the gentleman said.

Her jaw dropped while her green eyes got as wide as they could possibly get. "Oh, my God!" she whispered excitedly. "I must be dreaming!"

"No, you're not," Cosmo interjected. "This is my close friend, Ace Cooper."

"I can't believe this!" exclaimed the young lady. She struggled to get a sentence out, but after turning to Cosmo, she did manage to say a question. "Why didn't you tell me your friend was the Magician himself?"

"If I told you this afternoon, you'd never have believed me, so I talked with Ace on the phone, and we set up this surprise."

Angela finally got her composure. "Mr. Cooper," she said calmly, "this is truly an honor for me. I've heard about you for only two years, but you've put some real magic into my life."

"I'm very flattered," said a blushing Ace as he walked up to her to shake her hand.

When their hands met, though, both suddenly had a weird feeling overcome them. They reacted like they started getting headaches.

Cosmo noticed them acting very strangely.

"Are you two all right?" "Yes," replied Ace, "we're fine." He looked at his clothing and said, "Maybe it was static electricity."

Angela then said, "Or maybe it was the overwhelming reaction of meeting you in person."

All three enjoyed a good laugh as Angela was still in awe about this whole situation.

Ace said, "Angela, I ran a background check on you, and I must say you are an extraordinary young woman."

Angela blushed in embarrassment. "Mr. Cooper, I'm just a regular person living life."

"Oh, really? According to that check, you and another resident in Mason City, Iowa, won a community service award five years ago."

"Cool!" said a happy Cosmo. "How'd she do it?"

"At about that time, a terrible heat wave plagued the Midwest. In her hometown of Mason City, she knew of some people who couldn't afford the air conditioning, as well as some senior citizens who could never survive in that type of heat. She and the other person decided to do something about it by converting Angela's family home into a cooling shelter."

Angel took over from there. "They both asked the mayor about the idea. The mayor was so pleased she bought extra fans for the house and agreed to pay the power bill herself."

"After the pair went away to college, they let the mayor take over the house and make it into a special shelter during heat waves and cold spells." Ace then turned to the young lady. "Do you know if your home is still a shelter?"

"I called the mayor last year just after I graduated from college, and she said it's still going strong. She still uses her own personal money to keep it going."

Cosmo smiled and said, "That's great. Your helping the community must've made you feel pretty good."

"It sure did," said Angela. "Being able to help my hometown when it's needed is great to do, especially when everyone in town had already done so much for me at that time."

"What do you mean by that?" asked a curious Cosmo.

"Oh, it's, um, people just helping me with my bad luck." She then put her face down. "Mr. Cooper, are you sure you don't mind my staying here?"

"No, of course not." Ace put his hands on her shoulders and said, "Angela, you've already had too much bad luck since you arrived in town today."

"I just hope I don't give any of my bad luck to you."

"Well, maybe with some magic," said Ace as he made a single red rose appear in his right hand, "your luck will change for the better."

She took the rose and said, "I think it's already on the road to improvement." Changing the subject, she stated, "There are a couple of important things I have to say about being here. First, I am not a freeloader by any means. If you need me to do something, I won't hesitate to do it. The other thing is this: Mr. Cooper, you are a celebrity, but that doesn't give me the right to take advantage of you. You have welcomed me into your home as a real friend, and I want to treat you the same way, not like one of those celebrity friends."

Cosmo said, "Angela, you seem to be a person who hasn't done anything wrong in your entire life."

"That's not entirely true," she said with a laugh. "I have done one thing wrong."

The gentlemen were totally surprised. "You've gotta be kidding!" they both said.

After Angela shook her head, they wanted to know what she did. She simply answered, "I walked out of a convenient store with a TV Guide and didn't pay for it."

Ace then asked, "Did you get caught?"

"By the store manager, no, but my parents found out when we got home."

"Oh, man," Cosmo stated in exasperation, "what happened?"

"They gave me a stern lecture, took me back to the store, made me tell the manager what I had done, and made me apologize."

"If you don't mind my asking," said Ace, "how old were you when you did this?"

"I was five years old," she answered softly. "The manager did know my parents, though, and he understood I didn't know better yet, so he let me off."

Ace let out a real sigh of relief. "Thank goodness, because I couldn't imagine anyone having a criminal record at the age of five."

The three friends shared a laugh about Angela's one blemish in her life. Of course, she had no idea she was staying with two former delinquents.

Ace then gave out some instructions. "Cosmo, you get the luggage. Angela, I'll show you to your room, okay?"

"Sure, Mr. Cooper."

A few minutes later, Angela settled into her new room, with both suitcases sitting next to the closet. It was a comfortable room, painted in off-white. The bed was king size and had a comforter covered with different kinds of flowers. Ace looked at her and said, "I hope you'll like it here." She felt very comfortable on her new bed. "Mr. Cooper, I appreciate you doing all this for me, but are you sure this isn't too much trouble?"

"Angela, it's no trouble at all. I do not want you to to in one of those pricey long-stay hotels, and you've already had too many things going wrong for you today. I really don't mind this."

"But . . . what if an apartment opening doesn't come anytime soon? I know you don't want me here for too long."

"That's all right," the Magician said. "Every once in a while, a little company doesn't hurt. Now, I'm going to give you a little time to yourself, get used to things around here in the Express."

Angela smiled and said, "Mr. Cooper, you are one of the nicest people I've ever met. You're not the typical celebrity who acts nice in public only to snub them later. You really are a wonderful person."

He smiled back and said, "Thank you." Leaving the room, he stated, "If you need anything, just tell Angel, and she'll give us the message."

"Thanks, Mr. Cooper." After he left, she walked up to the window and looked at the stars in the clear night sky. Her mind focused on where she was at present, as well as where she had been in the past. Suddenly, in her thinking process, she developed a strange feeling in her heart.

At almost the exact same moment, Ace walked down the hall when he felt something strange in his mind. The feeling lasted only a few seconds, and both felt fine soon afterward. Ace wondered what had just happened. "What was that weird feeling?" he asked himself. "Hmm, maybe it was nothing." He continued walking down the hall.

On the other hand, Angela became somewhat nervous. "What's going on?" asked she, placing her right hand on her heart. "It's been more than five years since I've had that feeling in my heart. I don't know why it's suddenly resurfacing, but I must keep it under control. Whatever happens, no one can ever know about this." She then lay on the bed and thought cautiously about what she had to hide.

On a different side of town was an interesting building. The bottom of the building was shaped like an upside-down equilateral triangle. In the middle of the triangle was a rectangle of black and gold with some odd shapes and a heart near the top. The top of the building was more of a large statue. The elbows were bent while the arms reached high into the sky. Between the two hands at the very top were gigantic rotating holograms of the four playing-card symbols: club, heart, spade, and diamond. In the top floor of the building was a seemingly isolated room with only two people.

"How is business tonight, Clockwise?" asked a gentleman hovering in a unique chair.

"It seems to be going as usual," replied the extremely slender and well-dressed man named Clockwise. "Everyone is enjoying the evening." He then went to the window and saw the bright stars themselves. Clockwise was a mysterious person who spoke with a German accent. In charge of the accounts for the Croesus Palace, it was his job to report everything to his boss every night.

His boss was very unusual as well. He had to sit in a hover chair because he was unable to move his legs, the result of a terrible accident from years earlier. The accident also affected his physical appearance: his face was blue, his eyes were yellow, and his head was completely bald. This night he wore a red-and-black jacket with a diamond pattern and white gloves.

Meanwhile, in the casino portion of the building, two gentlemen threw a rowdy gambler out for causing trouble. "And stay out!" yelled the bigger gentleman. "You don't do that to a customer again!" Both gentlemen wore similar outfits: red and black sportcoats, off-white slacks, and dress shoes to match the coats. The physical differences were obvious, though. The one who threw out the gambler was a large muscleman. He had brown eyes, black hair, and a large chin. Although Spade was not exactly the smartest person in the world, his brawn could almost certainly make up for his lack of brains.

The other one, Diamond, was far thinner than his partner, but nonetheless the more cunning of the pair. He was a regularly built man with peroxide-bleached blond hair and blue eyes. He also wore a black see-through patch over his right eye. "Boss," he said with a less German accent than Clockwise, "that guy's not going to give us any more problems this evening."

"Very well, Diamond," said the boss. "Maintain normal security." He then turned to Clockwise. "How is the conversion of that apartment building on Emerson Drive going?"

"Everything is going as planned, Mr. Black Jack. We should have the casino ready within the next month."

"I was hoping we could speed the plans, but I will be satisfied. I just wish I didn't have to deal with my daughter having to see that blasted Magician twice in one week. She's going to be at his show Friday night, and he's going to see her sing the next night here at the Croesus. What does she ever see in him anyway?"

Clockwise gave his boss a reminder about this relationship. "Remember, they were inseparable while growing up at the St. Johns Orphanage. Even though they fell apart after your accident, he never gave up on her. Eventually they got back together, and they have been very close ever since."

"I just hope they don't get married."

"The ultimate decision will be hers to make, not yours."

"I know, Clockwise, but I'm having a hard time dealing with the fact she is grown-up."

"You should try to understand her feelings. After all, she's torn between her loyalty as daughter to you and as close friend to Ace Cooper."

"It's not easy being both the father of a beautiful and talented daughter and Electro City's king of crime, especially when the one person she cares about is also a thorn on my side, using magic to stop every plan I have made."

"In Electro City, nothing is ever average. No one can tell what can happen at any given moment."

"You're exactly right," Jack sighed. "Who knows what could be going on out there right now?" He then hovered to the window and started wondering himself if something would develop in a short amount of time.

Back at the Magic Express, Ace asked Angel if their new friend had asked for anything. When she responded with a no, he decided to go check on Angela.

He got to her room, and when the door opened, he discovered the young lady had already fallen asleep. "Poor Angela," he said softly. "She's been through so much today, and she's simply worn out." The young woman slept soundly on top of the bed, with her head leaned to the right on the pillow. Ace knew the temperatures that night would be a little chilly, so he closed his eyes, put out his hands, and slowly levitated Angela into the air. Then, with his right hand, he made the blanket move to a point just past her feet. He next let her back down on the bed and finally moved the blanket back over her. Opening his eyes, he looked at Angela as though he tucked a little girl into bed. He turned off the lights and quietly said, "Sweet dreams, Angela. May your sleep be pleasant, and may tomorrow be better for you."

Ace walked away as the door closed behind him. She's an adult, he thought, with a child's innocence. It's really awful when some good people have to suffer bad luck so often. I just hope I can change her luck and get her out of her shy, quiet shell.

Cosmo suddenly came up and said, "Yo, Ace, how's she-"

Ace interrupted his apprentice's words. "Cosmo, shh. Angela's already asleep."

"Whoops," Cosmo whispered, "sorry. Guess she had enough of this crazy day. She comes into town to move into her apartment and ends up not getting one. On the way to a long-stay hotel, she nearly gets mugged and robbed. Finally, she looks forward to seeing your show on Friday, only to end up meeting you in person and getting a temporary home here. She's had more happen to her in one day than a lot of people would in a lifetime."

"That's for sure," Ace noted. When they went into the living room, where Zina lay comfortably on the couch, he then said, "Angela is a unique individual: very shy, very quiet, but she's not afraid to help other people when it's needed. She feels comfortable about aiding someone but not very talkative."

"Yeah, but she did say to me when she started watching you, she felt happy, and time stopped."

"Apparently she wasn't kidding when she said I put some real magic into her life. If she can stay here long enough, we just might be able to get her out of her shell and make her into an outgoing person."

"That probably won't be too hard, but, like, what if no apartment can be available? What if she has to end up staying here for a long time?"

Ace had a puzzled look on his face. "Cosmo, are you saying she'll pick up a few secrets from me and spread them around?"

"No, I didn't mean to put it that way. I honestly hope she does stay here for a while because she looks like she hasn't had that many friends."

Angel appeared between them and said, "Angela had very few friends in life because of her devotion to her studies. However, she did have one best friend named Ashley Brighton. Unfortunately, there is little information on her."

"Come to think of it," said Ace, "she's never mentioned anything about her family."

"Ace," Cosmo said, "it's only her first day in town. Let her get settled first."

"You're right. I'm getting a bit overanxious. All she needs is time to adjust, and maybe then she'll open up."

Both looked at the clock and decided to go to bed because they had a long practice coming the next day to prepare for Friday night's perfomance. Cosmo, though, had a few sniffles in his nose, but he hoped they would pass by morning.

During the night, Angela slept soundly on her bed. Her mind, however, was not sound asleep, for she had a dream involving two people about whom she truly cared. Within her mind, she could see her modest family home along with her parents. Angela had a very close relationship with her mother Nancy and her father Robert. An only child, she did everything with her parents. She never had any problems growing up, except for her love of learning. Absorbing everything she learned, she chose to sit under a tree with a book in her hand while other kids goofed off at recess time. She was always the victim of constant teasing by popular students, since they did not like smart alecks. However, she never took any aggression against them because she never did believe in using violence. She simply ignored their comments and went on with her reading. Despite having very few friends, she always considered her parents her best friends because she could always talk to them whenever she had a problem.

In her dream, though, she saw the one time she opted not to go with her parents because of a load of homework she had to do that night. Sadly, it would be the last time she would see them alive. What should have taken only one hour for her parents to do felt more like hours.

She could see herself picking up the telephone and learning the terrible news. "Mom, Dad," Angela said in her sleep, "no, not them, please." Tears came out of her eyes and went down the side of her face. She was reliving the worst possible memory she could ever experience, and she could not get it out of her mind.

She then awoke crying. She got out of bed to find a box of tissues. She took one and used it to dry her eyes and blow her nose, which would easily become stuffed up when she did cry.

She noticed her clothing next. "Oh, dear," she said as she saw her rumpled clothes. "I must have fallen asleep and didn't know it." She went to the clothing suitcase, found her pajamas, and quickly changed into her night gear.

As she returned to bed, Angela whispered, "The secret I have inside my heart is going to stay there because of what happened to my parents. Only one person knows this secret, and I'm going to make sure it stays that way. I just hope I don't have to worry about this."

She suddenly heard the door open and nearly panicked because either Ace or Cosmo may have overheard her. She was scared at who wanted to come into her room in the middle of the night.

After hearing a purring sound, she immediately knew who it was. "Zina," she said in relief. "I'm sorry for being so jumpy, girl. I thought someone heard me."

The panther leapt onto her bed and quickly fell asleep. Angela smiled at Zina, for the beautiful animal gave her a sense of calmness. The young lady went back to sleep while she rubbed her left hand on Zina's back.

Angela slept soundly for the rest of the night. She knew she had a home at last . . . but for how long?