Magic from the Heart Part 3
The next morning, raindrops hit against the window, forcing Angela to wake up from her sound sleep. "Oh, man," she said in a groggy tone of voice, "I can't stand the sound of rain against the window." While most people could sleep through rain, her highly sensitive hearing made the rain sound more like an annoyance than a soothing experience. She looked to her left and noticed Zina was gone. "I guess Zina likes to sleep in different places during the night."
Getting out of bed, she wanted to look for something to eat. However, when she failed to notice a refrigerator, she came to an important realization. "I already forgot. I'm not in an apartment; I'm staying in the Magic Express." She still could not believe she was in the same home as the greatest magician in the world, even if it were only for a short period of time.
Still in her pajamas, she walked towards the kitchen when she heard someone sneezing. "That sounded like Cosmo just now." She then went two doors backwards and entered Cosmo's room, which also contained his workshop. She saw her new friend shaking in bed. "Cosmo, are you all right?"
In a shaky tone he answered, "I'm not sure. I feel really awful right now."
Angela placed her right hand on his forehead. "My goodness," she said in alarm, "you're very warm. I'd better check your temperature. Where's the thermometer?"
"It's been so long since either of us has gotten sick, I can't remember where it is."
"Could I ask Angel?"
The hologram appeared and said, "I'm sorry, Angela, but I have no memory to the thermometer's location, either. If it has been more than three months, I am unable to know because my cache memory gets a regular cleaning."
"Then I'll have to find Mr. Cooper," Angela stated. She was on her way out but told Cosmo to stay under the covers until further notice.
Meanwhile, Ace slept normally until he had the feeling he had to wake up. Something in his mind started to bother him. When he walked to his room's door, all he could think about was a thermometer. As the door opened, he saw Angela walking by and simply said, "The thermometer's on the second shelf of the medicine cabinet in the bathroom at the end of the hall."
"Oh, thanks, Mr. Cooper," Angela said hurriedly.
Ace suddenly surprised himself. "Wait a minute. How did I know what she was trying to find?"
Halfway down the hall, Angela found herself in shock. "Now how did Mr. Cooper know what I was looking for? It's almost like he read my mind perfectly." When she reached the bathroom at the end of the hall, she opened the medicine cabinet. Sure enough, on the second shelf was the digital thermometer. "Right where he said!" she exclaimed.
Ace found her there and asked, "Is Cosmo sick?"
"It may be the case, Mr. Cooper. We'll know after I get a temperature check."
The Magician and his newest friend went to Cosmo's room, and he was already worried. "Cosmo, are you feeling all right?"
"Man, I don't think so," he answered weakly. "I feel hot and cold, I've got aches and pains all over, I've been coughing all morning, and I'm shaking like a bad mambo dancer."
Angela, in control of the situation, knew what was happening with Cosmo. "Looks and sounds to me like late-season flu. We'll know momentarily." She placed the thermometer in the boy's mouth and got her answer within one minute. "I'm afraid he's developing the flu, unless he's hiding a hot-water bottle."
"No," Ace said. "Cosmo has pulled some crazy stunts on me before, but he'd never lie about being sick. What was the temperature?"
The young lady quickly answered, "It's already 100.3 degrees. If it gets worse, he won't be able to do anything for at least two days."
"Oh, no," Cosmo said in despair, "if I'm not back to 100 percent, Ace won't be able to perform Friday."
"Cosmo, I can postpone the performance until you're better. Right now, your health is more important."
Angela thought about the developing problem. "Mr. Cooper, do you have any medicine?"
"Yes, but I'm worried about side effects."
"What about Angel?"
"I can give him some temporary relief," the hologram said, "but he must eat something to hold it down."
"In that case," said Angela, "this is going to sound crazy. Do you have any chicken, noodles, black pepper, and ginger?"
"What?" the gentlemen asked curiously.
"I think it's time to put your kitchen to work because I'm going to help get Cosmo better in a short amount of time." She then turned to Ace and said, "If you can give me about ten minutes, I'm going to make some toast and pour some orange juice. Afterward, though, I need to get to the nearest grocery store to find those ingredients."
"Really?"
"Yes, because I'm going to make the greatest homemade chicken noodle soup you will ever eat."
Cosmo's eyes lit up. "Did you say 'homemade' soup?"
"Of course. I believe in using herbs and spices as medicine for ailments, and what better way to show it than to cook something with it?"
Ace was very surprised. "You can cook?"
"Mr. Cooper, my parents and I rarely ever ate out because there weren't too many restaurants to choose from, and we were also concerned about the safety of the food. Besides, fresh food tastes better, don't you think?"
"You do have a point." Ace thought over her idea and decided, "If you need me to take you, I would be more than happy to oblige."
"Thanks, Mr. Cooper. That would be a tremendous help."
Some time after Angela gave Cosmo the toast and orange juice, Angel kept an eye on the young man while Ace drove his unusual car with Angela in the back seat. Ace's car really was unusual. It was more than 20 feet long and at least six feet wide. It shared the color scheme of the Magic Express: white on top with grey on the door, blue on the bottom with the red line, yellow circle, and black "M" in the middle. This was one car that could easily make the Indianapolis 500 look more like a Sunday drive in the park.
"So this is the Magic Racer?" Angela asked with complete curiosity.
"Yes, it is," answered Ace. "Do you like it?"
"Are you kidding, Mr. Cooper? I have never seen a car like this. It's really cool."
"Thank you very much. Say, can I ask you something?"
"Sure, what?"
"Why do you prefer using herbs and spices as medicine?"
"Remember when you mentioned side effects in most medicines? I was 12 years old when I suffered bronchitis. The doctor gave me three different medications, including a cough medicine that would zonk me out every time I took it because of the alcohol in it."
"So, what did you do?"
"I didn't do anything, but Mom decided to cook up a liquid with honey, lemon, and ginger. It may sound like a goofy concoction, but that cured my coughing without putting me to sleep during the day. From that point on, I learned the art of using homemade cooking to cure ailments."
"How clever."
"Yeah. In fact, Mom makes one dish that takes eight full hours to simmer, but it's so hot it'll clear your sinuses in less than five minutes."
"Are you serious?" Ace asked with his eyes widening.
Angela nodded with her answer of yes.
They arrived at a grocery store a little less than three miles from the DNA Club.
As Angela got out of the Racer, Ace asked, "How long do you need in there?"
"Probably about 20 minutes. The black pepper's not a problem, but I've learned being picky about the chicken, noodles, and ginger."
"I understand. Do you need any money?"
"No, I'll use the money from the apartment security fee to get the groceries."
"Okay, I'll see you in 20 minutes." Ace drove off as Angela entered the store.
Angela had no problem finding the black pepper and easily found just the right chicken and noodles. It was finding the right ginger which made her lose some time. "There's got to be a couple of pieces here that will work."
In the process of looking, though, the same strange feeling she had the night before returned, but a little stronger. "Oh, no, not again," she said while placing her left hand on her heart. "Why now?"
At the same time, Ace was on his way back to the store when he suffered the same inexplicable feeling in his mind. He had to pull over to the side to avoid having an accident. "What's happening?" he asked himself. "It's the same feeling from last night."
In the store, one of the employees noticed Angela. He came up to her and asked, "Are you all right, Miss?"
About ten seconds passed, but the feeling quickly subsided. "I'm okay now," she finally replied.
"Do you need to go to the hospital?"
"No, I just had a slight heart murmur. It's more of a nuisance because of my high-strung nerves."
"Oh, I understand, but are you sure you're okay?"
"I'm fine, but thanks anyway."
When the employee went back to his job, Angela became a little uneasy. I don't understand, she thought. That's the second time it's happened. I've got to keep this secret safe, but how if it strikes again? There must be a way to control it without letting anyone know.
Ace was feeling better himself, yet something bothered him. "Keeping a secret safe?" he asked himself. "Why am I suddenly thinking like this?" Looking at his watch, he realized he was late, so he got back on the road to meet Angela at the store.
A few minutes later, Angela just walked out of the store when Ace arrived at the pick-up point. Loading the groceries into the back seat, she said, "Sorry I'm late, Mr. Cooper."
"No, Angela, I fell behind the time, too. I got held up in traffic."
"I had trouble finding just the right ginger."
Both were telling partial truths, since they both were doing what they said when they both had the weird feeling.
Soon they were back at the Magic Express with the necessary ingredients and immediately went to Cosmo's room to check on the young apprentice.
"Angel," Ace said, "what's Cosmo's condition now?"
"Still the same, but the toast and orange juice have helped some."
Angela said, "That's some good news. Cosmo, how are you feeling?"
"If it's any consolation, I can sit up now."
Both Ace and Angela had a lighthearted laugh.
Angela then stated, "Mr. Cooper, I"m going to the kitchen to start making the soup. What I need you to do is to keep an eye on him and give him a full glass of orange juice every 30 minutes. The soup's going to take a couple of hours to be done, though, so I hope it won't be too long for you."
"That's all right, Angela. Take all the time you need to prepare the soup."
"Thanks." She left the room to get started on a culinary cure for Cosmo's flu.
Ace then looked at Cosmo. "I think there's something weird going on here. Last night and this morning, I've had this odd feeling in my mind. What's even weirder is the fact I told Angela where the thermometer was before she said anything about it."
"Oh, man, that is weird. It's like you instantly became a mind reader or something."
"It's certainly possible, especially after what happened on the way back to the store to pick her up. I somehow had a thought about keeping a secret safe. Now, we both know about each other's past, and Angela doesn't have a criminal past."
"You think she may be lying?"
"No, I don't believe she is a criminal at all, but she may be hiding some kind of secret."
"If it's not a crime she's hiding, maybe it's something tragic she saw."
"A traumatic experience? That's a good theory, but that still doesn't explain why I'm able to somehow know what Angela's thinking." After a little sigh, Ace added, "Angela seems to be more of a mystery than she's letting on. What could she possibly be hiding to cause some craziness around here?"
"I don't know, dude, but didn't you and Angela have a funny reaction when you both shook hands last night?"
Ace realized Cosmo was exactly right. "Maybe it wasn't an overwhelming reaction or the clothes. The handshake may have been a trigger mechanism, but was it for me . . . or for Angela?"
Meanwhile, at a large house not too far from the coast, a woman with green eyes and red hair was already wide awake and pacing around with a pen and pad in her hands. "What a time to get writer's block," she said nervously. "I have to come up with some new songs for Saturday night, and I'm getting nowhere."
She had plenty of reasons to worry about coming up with new material. Mona Malone had won the Golden Voice Award not too long ago, but she knew people would grow tired of the same songs. As for the award itself, she did not have it because she gave it to someone very special to her on the night she won. When someone threatened her life and tried to force her out of the competition, she entrusted her life to a close friend instead of a pair of bodyguards.
Ace Cooper went to every length necessary to protect her from harm at that time, and she never forgot about it. Although Ace and Mona had the on-again, off-again relationship, they had been close friends since their days together in the orphanage. Even though Mona deeply cared for Ace, she was also a person stuck in the middle of an intense rivalry between him and her father. It was very difficult for her to live a normal life because she was the daughter of "Black Jack" Malone, Electro City's most notorious crime boss, and close friend to Ace Cooper the Magician, the city's most well-known celebrity and crimefighter. Her feelings were always mixed between the two because she remembered Ace being the one who caused her father's deformation and debilitation, but she also despised her father for being the notorious crime boss in the first place and trying to stop Ace by any means necessary.
At the moment, though, her mind was focused on coming up with a new song or two. "Maybe I should do a tune about friendship, like how friendship can stand the test of time, like ours has." She went to a nearby table and picked up a photo of her and Ace when they were teenagers. She could think back to a time where everything was innocent and peaceful, and Mona did not have to worry about anything.
She then had an idea. "Maybe I can get Ace to help me." She went to the phone in the living room to call him.
Back at the Express, Ace was getting another glass of orange juice for Cosmo when he heard the phone ringing. "Hello?"
"Ace, it's Mona."
"Hey, is something wrong?"
"No, I'm just suffering writer's block trying to come up with some new songs."
"I wish I could help you, but I've got problems of my own right now. Cosmo's got the flu, and I have to give him some orange juice while someone else gets some chicken noodle soup made."
"Wait a second. You have someone cooking over there?"
"Yes, and before you get the wrong idea, I-"
"The wrong idea? Is there a woman over there?"
"Yes, but-"
"Well, thanks a lot, Ace," Mona said sarcastically. "I was hoping for inspiration and instead get desperation!" She nearly threw the receiver on the stand.
Ace hung up the phone and put his face down.
Cooking the soup in a timely manner, Angela noticed Ace's downed head. "Mr. Cooper, is everything all right?"
"What? Oh, yeah, everything's fine." He then took off with the orange juice.
Angela said to herself, "Oh, great. My bad luck's already starting to spread, and the Magician's the first victim." She walked over to the phone and noticed the instant call-back button. "Maybe I can reverse this situation and change the luck." She picked up the phone and pressed the redial button.
Mona heard her phone ringing. Still very upset, she picked up the receiver and started yelling into it. "Ace, if you think for one-"
"Wait, hold it, hold it," Angela interrupted.
Mona was very surprised. "Oh, I'm sorry. I thought you were Ace."
"Listen, did you call him about a minute ago?"
"Yes, I did. Are you the woman at the Magic Express cooking homemade soup?"
"Yeah, but give me a chance to explain exactly what's going on." Angela introduced herself and told everything that happened to her in the time she had been in Electro City.
When Angela mentioned the buyout of the apartment building on Emerson Drive, Mona nearly went into shock. Oh, no, she thought to herself, my father bought out that apartment building. He took this young lady's home away before she had a chance to move in.
Angela went on with her explanation, going from the time she nearly got mugged all the way to Ace allowing her to make the Magic Express a temporary home.
Listening very intently to the tone of Angela's voice, Mona realized she was telling the truth. "I believe you, young lady. I know Ace wouldn't let just anyone stay in the Express without a good reason. Can you accept my apology?"
"Of course, but I have to apologize, too. I didn't mean to cause any friction between you and Mr. Cooper, especially accidentally. It seems my life of bad luck is getting contagious."
"No, my overreacting caused this mess. How about I make it up to you this way: Will you have enough of your chicken noodle soup for dinner?"
"Yeah, definitely. Cosmo's going to have to eat it for both lunch and dinner for the next two days, and I can make for as many as 10 people."
"Great. Would you mind if I be there at 6:00 tonight?"
"Miss Malone, I look forward to meeting you in person this evening."
After hanging up the phone, Angela headed back to the stove when someone said, "That was very nice of you."
She jumped at the sudden sound of the voice. "Oh, it's you, Mr. Cooper. You startled me."
Ace had overheard the phone conversation. "I'm sorry, but why did you decide to call Mona?"
"For two reasons. First was to tell her the truth about me being here, and second was to make sure my bad luck wouldn't spread on you."
The Magician smiled and said, "Angela, it wasn't a case of bad luck. Everything just went wrong at the same time, that's all."
"Maybe, but it seems I'm the one causing everything to go wrong in the first place, mostly indirectly." She put her face down and had a tear come out of her right eye.
Ace put his left hand on her chin and lifted her sad face. Wiping the tear from her cheek, he calmly said, "You've got to stop putting yourself down so much. You're not responsible for all this. In addition, I've never met a person who can respond so quickly and calmly to a situation. You figured out what Cosmo had and sprung into action, trying to get him better as fast as possible. Your being here to help us has actually brought some good luck, and you made a new friend out of Mona."
Angela started to smile as her face grew brighter. "The word friend has been very hard to come by for me, but I already have more friends in my short time here than I have in my entire life."
"See, your luck will get better as time goes on. All you have to do is give yourself a chance instead of being hard on yourself." Ace then sniffed into the air. "Mmm, that soup has a delectable aroma already."
As she returned to the stove, she added, "Give it another 30 minutes, and it'll be ready to eat."
"I'll inform Cosmo immediately."
"Very well, Mr. Cooper."
When Ace left to check on Cosmo, Angela's smile got bigger. I'm actually feeling a lot better, she thought. Not getting that apartment may have been a blessing in disguise. I don't feel as isolated as I would be if I were in my apartment.
In his room, Cosmo noticed Ace coming in. "Hey, how's it going now?"
"Angela should finish it in about 30 minutes, and I have to tell you it smells delicious."
"If that's true, I can't wait to try it."
An hour later, the three friends finished their lunch in Cosmo's room.
"Angela," said Cosmo, "this soup is the best thing I've ever eaten. No wonder you like homemade over canned."
"Believe me, fresh food tastes better, is healthier, and is far safer than canned or fast food."
"I agree," Ace said happily. "Angela, you are a fantastic cook. Even though I'm not sick, I like this soup. In a way, the soup can help keep me from getting sick myself."
"A lot of people still don't understand the medicinal value of herbs and spices, and sometimes it only takes a good hot meal ot make all the difference."
Cosmo nodded in agreement. "You're right. The ginger in the soup certainly added a touch of spice. In fact, I don't feel as feverish as I was earlier."
"Good. If we can keep this up, you may be able to get back to work in helping get Mr. Cooper's show ready on Friday."
"How soon?"
"If your temperature is no higher than 99.2 degrees when I check it later, you can get back to your routine as soon as this afternoon."
"Terrific, Angela. I'm looking forward to getting back to work."
Fortunately, his temperature was an even 99, so Cosmo was able to get out of bed and immediately returned to his job as the Magician's apprentice. Angela did caution him, though, to take it easy, because a fever can come back at any time, and his body was not at full strength yet. She also warned him not to rush anything or lift heavy objects.
Later in the afternoon, Ace and Cosmo were in the training room, working on a combination trick using both levitation and metamorphosis.
Ace was just glad to see his apprentice back on his feet so fast. "Angela has proven herself already," he said, "coming to the rescue in a rough situation. She's definitely no freeloader."
"That's for sure," added Cosmo. "It's almost like fate brought her here. What's even better is she's proven to be a real friend, too."
"It's like she said when she got here. She wants to be a true friend, and she has been. She was more concerned about your health than the show. Angela is truly a genuine person with a kind heart. And I think we're finally starting to crack her shell of shyness."
"Yeah, she's finally opening up. She has some friends now and knows she's not alone anymore. Now, uh, any luck discovering what she's hiding yet?"
"Not yet. Also, she has mentioned her parents but not too often. She learned how to cook from her mother, and they rarely ate out, but that's all we know. Angel?"
The 3-D hologram appeared in the room. "Yes, Ace?"
"Is there any information on Angela's parents?" "I will check."
After a few seconds, Angel had an answer. "Yes, her parents' names were Robert and Nancy. He was a worker in a textile plant while she had a home business in interior design."
"What do you mean by 'were,' 'was,' and 'had'? Are her parents . . . dead?"
"Yes. Her parents were killed in an automobile accident five years ago."
Cosmo noticed something in what Angel said. "Angela said she graduated from college last year."
"If that's true," Ace said in intent thought, "that would place her high school graduation . . . five years ago." "Everything must have happened to her at the same time five years ago: the accident, the shelter, and graduation, but in what order?"
"I don't know, yet it still doesn't figure into whatever secret she has. If only I could-" Ace's sentence was stopped because he felt a sharp pain in his head. "It's happening again!" he yelled as he fell to his knees and held his head.
Angela was in the kitchen warming up more of her chicken noodle soup when something strong hit her heart, causing her to drop the mixing spoon on the floor. She quickly got a hold of her heart. "Why now of all times?" she said with a struggle. "Miss Malone's going to be here soon. I can't let this come out!" She bent forward to such a degree she ended up falling backwards and landed with her back against the counter drawers. "I've got to put a stop to this." She closed her eyes and concentrated as hard as possible to put the feeling to rest.
In the meantime, Ace himself struggled to get words out of his mouth. "Cosmo, quick, go check on Angela. She's in the kitchen."
"On my way!" the apprentice yelled while running.
Ace closed his eyes and put his mind into focus. He soon was able to see an image of Angela in her own struggle.
"Go back, go back!" she said in a loud whisper. "I promised never to let it come out again, and I won't allow it!" She gave all she possibly could to suppress the feeling. "I must put this at peace. If I don't, the secret will be out for sure." Going into total focus, she was able to take control and make the feeling disappear. She sighed in relief and said, "Thank goodness."
Cosmo ran into the kitchen to find Angela on the ground. "Are you all right?" he asked as he helped her stand up.
"Yeah, I'm okay."
"What happened to you?"
"Oh, I just slipped on a wet spot and fell backwards." She could not tell the truth out of fear of both Ace and Cosmo learning her secret.
"Are you sure you're all right?"
"Don't worry, Cosmo, I'm fine, but thanks for your concern." Before he left, she added, "Could you tell Mr. Cooper dinner should be ready right on time?"
"Of course, Angela, like, no problemo."
After he was far enough away from the scene, Angela picked up the mixing spoon and quietly said, "That was way too close for comfort. If they ever discover my secret, they'll throw me out. I've got to keep it quiet as long as I can. In terms of cooking, I need to wash this spoon."
Cosmo returned to the training room and saw Ace shaking his head but more importantly back on his feet. "You okay now?"
"I'm all right now. Wow, I've never felt anything like this before."
"Oh, before I forget, Angela wanted me to tell you-"
"Dinner should be ready on time, right?"
"Exactly." Cosmo was amazed by Ace's newest ability. "Man, I'm getting blown away with your being able to read Angela's mind."
"Cosmo, let me ask you. Did Angela say she slipped on some water and fell backwards when you asked her what happened?"
"Yeah, dude, she did say that."
"She did fall backwards, but she didn't slip on any water. She was lying to protect her secret. Whatever that secret is, it's not what we've been thinking."
"It may not be something out of her past, so maybe it's a physical condition."
"No, it's not physical, but it is something which comes from her heart. The question is what?"