Part 3
Angie did
not think she would ever be able to get home after Ronald Sikes would reward
100,000 electro-dollars for any information concerning her first date,
particularly who the lucky man was and where the date would be.
Mona decided
for her own safety to spend the night in the Magic Express, mainly because
she had much of that information and because she would never give away
Angie's personal information for all the money in the world. Mona
cared about Angie far too much to allow that to happen.
When morning
broke, Angie looked outside her window and noticed many people still unable
to penetrate the electronic barrier Angel had set up the night before.
"Great," said Angie with sarcasm in her voice. "I'll be stuck here
for the rest of the week! I can't get out of here."
"Well,
we won't have to leave the Express for the next part of the plans for your
date."
"What do
you mean, Mona?"
"Simple.
With help from Angel's holograms, we can give you a distinctive hairstyle
for Saturday night."
Angie realized
how good of an idea she had. "Yeah, Angel must have hundreds or thousands
of hairstyles in her system that would work for me."
The pinkish-purple
dodecahedron appeared and said, "Yes, I may be able to help you there.
Also, I can recommend the right hairstylist to see for the particular style."
"Thanks,
Angel. You, too, Mona. I mean, I want this to be special, but
I don't know how I'll be able to get even out of here."
"I can
take care of that, with one hologram."
Outside,
people continued trying to break the barrier in order to invade the Magic
Express and get that information to win the large reward.
Less than
100 feet away, Mona's car suddenly appeared. "Yoo-hoo! We're
over here!" She then sped away with Angie in the passenger seat.
The people
suddenly started running after the holographic car.
Angie noticed
it on the living room TV screen. "Angel, you are absolutely wonderful!
I owe you one."
"No, you
don't. Incoming telephone call from Victor."
"Patch
it up in my room, please." Angie quickly ran to her room to take
up the phone call. "Morning, Victor. Man, I've had a rough
time."
"Yeah,
I know. I heard that announcement on the radio yesterday. I
can't believe he's trying to play on people's need for greed and would
reward that much money just to get personal information. Sikes is
proving to be worse than Paparazzo by leaps and bounds."
"Victor…are
you sure you want to go through with this? I mean, all this publicity
could destroy our relationship."
"Angie,
listen to me, okay? You are the woman I love, and there is nothing,
and I mean nothing, on this Earth that could stop me from loving
you, not even this celebrity madness. I know…you're having trouble
dealing with it right now because of what Sikes is trying to do to you."
"Um, what
would you do in a sticky situation like this? Get the people and
the rotten members of the media off your back or your father's back?"
"Well,
when it comes to my father, he has his security guards around him like
members of the Secret Service. Me, if there's a situation where I
don't like a camera being in my face, I'll just push it out of the way.
I know it isn't easy for you, but if you need a bodyguard, I'll be there
in a moment's notice. Of course, I still would rather be surprised
by what you will look like come Saturday evening."
"And the
Planet Electric?"
"Reservation
is still good, Angie. They're not going to bump us off. My
father would go through the roof if they did that to us. Don't worry,
everything will be fine. Just have faith."
"I-I'm
sorry, Victor. Every day that gets closer I'm getting more and more
nervous. I'm going to drive myself crazy, and what if something goes
wrong?"
"Angie,
just remember, play it by ear. Don't expect anything. If you
go in with expectations, everything will go wrong. I have
faith this will work out just fine. So, do you have a dress yet?"
"Yes, I
do. I was lucky to find it despite Sikes showing up at the store
I found the dress in. The hairstyle is next on the list, and I won't
have to leave the Magic for that part. Only thing is, we're running
low on groceries, and I must hit the supermarket today."
"Want me
to come with you to protect you from…curious people?"
"You may
have to. I can't drive the Magic Racer, and the Magic Bike can't
hold everything."
"What time
is best for you?"
"1:00.
I usually go after lunch. Besides, I'll have a hairstyle and stylist
chosen by then."
"You got
it, Angie. I'll see you at 1:00. I love you."
Angie softly
said, "And I love you. I'll see you this afternoon." She started
shedding soft tears.
"Angie…are
you okay?"
"Not really.
It's just…everything going on right now is all so new to me.
I really don't know if I can handle all this pressure from all sides, not
saying you're putting any pressure on me."
"I know.
When you first get into it, it's never easy. When I pick you
up this afternoon, I'll explain what I did to understand my status and
deal with the media. Perhaps something like that can be of great
help to you in dealing with your situation. But, I do recommend that
you wear some kind of disguise when you do go to the store."
"Now that
won't
be a problem," said Angie as she dried her eyes. "I'll make sure
I get into such a weird outfit no one could ever recognize me. Um,
could I pass off as a cousin from Texas?"
Victor
chuckled over the idea. "Why not? I'll just say you're my cousin
Lainie from El Paso, Texas. Can you talk with a real Texan accent?"
"Yeah,
I should have no trouble there. See you this afternoon."
"Bye, Angie."
Victor hung up the phone on his end and then went to his father's room.
"Dad, um, can I talk to you for a minute?"
"Of course,
Victor," said his father Robert Raven, owner of the DNA Club/Mall and very
prominent businessman. "Is something wrong?"
"Angie's
not used to all the media scrutiny around her. She even cried some
because she's not sure she can handle the pressure."
His father
nodded in understanding. "She became a star when she started working
with Ace Cooper, but something like this is now going to place a lot of
pressure on her."
"She needs
to get to the supermarket this afternoon, but with the announcement over
the radio yesterday, she may not be safe. I asked her to disguise
herself as my cousin Lainie from El Paso. Does that sound silly?"
"No, I
don't think it's silly at all. You would be surprised at how many
celebrities put themselves in disguise to keep a low profile. When
I was growing up, I remember seeing Diana, Princess of Wales, in a baseball
cap, t-shirt, and blue jeans in a photo."
Victor
was surprised, "A member of British royalty…wearing street clothes?
That's amazing."
"Believe
it or not, no one was able to recognize her. Angie should also have
no trouble keeping a low profile. It's not like the people know her
shopping list. Who would?"
"Ronald
Sikes if he had his way."
"True.
I think it's a good idea that you go with her because Ace attracts
attention almost immediately. If you go with your…'cousin' to the
store, that would make a difference. Must be her weekly shopping
trip."
"Mm-hmm.
I'm going to get her at 1 this afternoon, if…that's all right with you."
Mr. Raven
walked to his son and said, "Victor, you're 28 years old. You don't
have to ask for permission. Just stay close to her and make sure
she doesn't get hurt. I know how much you care for her, magician,
celebrity, or whatever."
"Thanks,
Dad. I'm glad you're behind this."
"Angela
is a genuine person filled with kindness and compassion. Even though
you have had only two previous girlfriends, you saw their true intentions,
only wanting to get to the money. Angie is not that way at all.
She looks at you for you, and I believe she really is the right person
to be with you. Is she…having trouble believing that herself?"
"Yes, I
think she is at times. Remember, she's never had a real boyfriend
before. I just hope things really will work out for us. Considering
everything she's had to suffer through…"
"Don't
underestimate her, son. She has her friends helping her, too.
I know the date will come out fine in the end."
Back at
the Magic, Angie went to the kitchen to make herself a bowl of cereal,
since she had to practice her emotional control with Ace and try to choose
a hairstyle with Mona all before lunch and her shopping trip. She
was going to be in for quite a long day.
After finishing
breakfast, she went to the practice room with Ace. She sighed, "I've
got my work cut out for me. Today's my weekly shopping trip, and
I certainly can't go as myself."
"What are
you going to do?" asked Ace curiously.
"I'm going
to disguise myself as Victor's Texan cousin Lainie, complete with Texan
accent. Victor's going to take me—I mean Lainie—grocery shopping."
"Sure.
But, what'll happen when you purchase ginger?"
"Don't
worry, Ace. I'm also buying some jalapeno and habenero peppers for
this hot chili dish I've been wanting to try out anyhow. The ginger
and the peppers together could make this chili set off a four-alarm fire
in the stomach."
"Oh, sounds
exciting. I guess if you can do that, I don't see why you couldn't
go shopping."
Mona then
joined the two magicians in the kitchen. "You're going to try and
make one of the hottest chilies around, huh?"
"Yeah,
and habenero peppers are supposed to be the hottest chili peppers
on Earth. I'd just love to give this to Ronald Sikes to eat."
Ace was
pleasantly surprised by her attitude. "You seem to allow your darkness
a little more freedom now, like you did in buying the dress yesterday."
"Darkness
is an important part of me now," said Angie with wonder. "I don't
want to bury it all over again and go through that dangerous cycle.
I have to maintain the balance between the light and darkness within myself."
"Of course.
I'm proud of you, Angie. It's definitely a step in the right direction."
"Come on,
let's practice."
As they
passed by Mona, she was happy to see her friend feel better about herself.
"She really deserves to be around all of us. We're like another family
to her, and who knows…Victor could become a part of it, too."
Practice
went very well for her, as she was able to keep her anger in check and
soon started creating more items of beauty and peace.
Her next
step for the day was to go into the computer room and work with Mona to
decide what hairstyle would be most fitting for the special occasion.
"Okay,
Angie," said Mona straightly, "it's time to choose a hairstyle fitting
for you. There are lots to choose from, just like the dresses.
That's why Angel's going to project holograms of your head with all the
hairstyles. What you'll get to do is to tweak your holographic hair
to fit whatever style you want."
Angie nodded
with some excitement. "I get to make my hairstyle any way I want?"
"That's
right. Angel will then give us a print out and look up the hairstylist
that can get this as close as possible. We won't take care of the
actual hairstyle until the day of your date."
"Why do
you do that?"
"If you
do it now, the hair won't look as…easily flowed by Saturday. It's
better to let the hairstylist do it then."
"I get
it. Better to have the hair fresh and not stale."
"Exactly.
Now, Angel, please project a hologram of Angie's head only."
"Very well."
Soon, a small hologram of the female magician's head could be seen in front
of her.
"Wow…cool.
I never thought I'd get to mess with my own hair."
"Let me
see your head for a sec, Ang," Mona requested. "Okay, you have naturally
curly hair. I think we need to add some highlights to the front part
of your hair. Perhaps just a little bit of blonde. Only thing
is, I'm worried you could have an allergic reaction to the use of some
type of coloring agent."
"Good point.
I've never used any type of color-changing stuff on my hair before.
Angel, could you test me to see if I have some kind of reaction?"
"Yes, I
can. Put out your right arm. I will put some color solution
on your wrist. The reaction will not occur right away, though.
It will take about an hour before we know if you react to it or not."
"While
I'm at it, I can go ahead and start tweaking with my hair. What reaction
will I have, if any?"
"A rash
just on that spot. That will determine if you are allergic to the
solution."
"Sounds
good," said Angie with some type of relief. "Now, let's see what
I can do to my hair."
For the
next hour or so, Angie and Mona kept changing bits and pieces of the holographic
hair while waiting to see if Angie had any allergic reaction to the color
solution.
Angel scanned
the affected area, which did begin to turn red and itchy. "You do
have a reaction, Angie. I would not recommend using any color solution
on your hair."
"Well,
that solves that. Now I have to come up with a useful style with
no color change." After a few more minutes, Angie came up with what
she needed. "There it is. I like this style…wavy towards the
bottom and plenty of body in there. What do you think, Mona?"
She looked
at Angie, and then her holographic head. "Yes. It looks just
right. Now, Angel, please create a print out and locate a hairstylist
that will do the job as best as possible."
Angie then
noticed the clock. "Oh, I need to get lunch started. By the
way, won't your father be worried about you?"
"Don't
worry. I called him last night about the situation. He detested
the fact I was here, but he also praised me for trying to look out for
your own safety. You have my father's respect for sure."
"We don't
see eye-to-eye on everything, but he is your father before the crime boss
in my eyes."
Mona smiled
with appreciation. "Thank you. You get lunch started while
I contact the hairstylist to make an appointment on Saturday."
After everyone
enjoyed lunch, Angie learned her hair appointment would be Saturday morning
at 10 a.m. at Madame Scalia's Hair Salon, not too far away from her date
at the Planet Electric. "Mona, I want to thank you for helping me
out on this. I just don't want anything to go wrong."
Noticing
it was almost 1:00, Angie knew it was time to go into disguise. "Victor's
going to be here any minute. It's time to become Lainie." With
a couple of quick spins, she made herself into a woman truly from Texas,
with snug blue jeans, boots, a collared shirt, and a cowboy hat.
"Well," she said with a Texan accent, "what do ya think?"
Cosmo laughed.
"You could fool anybody in that get-up. It's cool."
"Let's
see if Zina thinks so. Zina?"
The black
panther came into the living room and noticed "Lainie." Zina started
growling at her appearance.
The female
magician put her right hand out for Zina to sniff, which made the panther
realize it was Angie. "Well, Zina, I guess I fooled you some.
But you'd pick up my scent. My idea is to fool people."
Just then,
Victor entered the Magic Express. "Hello, everyone. Hi…Lainie."
"Hi, Vic.
What do you think?"
"You look
like a real Texan. Ready for grocery shopping?"
Using her
accent, she answered, "Of course. Let's round up them groceries!"
Everyone
chuckled over her use of language.
"Sounds
like what Dad used to hear before when someone named Jimmy Johnson coached
the Dallas Cowboys. He would say, 'How 'bout them Cowboys!'"
Victor
escorted Angie—"Lainie"—to his car and were soon off to the supermarket
for the weekly groceries.
Meanwhile,
back at the offices of The Inquisitive, Ronald Sikes was getting
a lot of calls about Angie, but none of them led anywhere. "People
are so dumb! They think I'm just going to give them the money?
I want the proof."
Just then,
Victoria Corliss entered his office. "Any luck yet?"
"No, just
a bunch of false leads. People are going to great lengths to get
that money, even fabricating their own stories."
"Listen,
I just remembered. Today is normally Angie's day to shop for groceries,
and she goes down at 1:00 every Tuesday afternoon."
"How'd
you know that?"
"You think
I don't have spies in that supermarket? I want you to go down there
and look for anything or anyone suspicious. More than likely, Angie's
in some kind of disguise, but she won't get away this time. We'll
get that information and the exclusive." She then gave him a unique
device. "Here, take this."
"What does
it do?"
"If I know
her, she'll probably call that Magician to come pick her up. This
device will pick up her distinctive voice patterns and let you know anything.
Who knows…she may give away the information we want."
Sikes smiled
wickedly. "Thanks, boss. I'm on my way now."
"I want
that story, Sikes! Don't let me down!"
He quickly
jumped into his car with the special device in hand and took off for the
supermarket.
After parking
the car, Victor and Lainie entered the store.
"This place
is huge," she said in her Texan accent and trying to act like it was the
first time she was in a larger market. "I hope I can find what I
need."
"Don't
worry, Lainie. We'll get what we need for that four-alarm chili."
The pair
went up to the fresh produce section of the store, where the produce manager
recognized Victor. "Hey, Victor. I—hey, who is she?"
"This is
my cousin Lainie. She's visiting for the first time from El Paso,
Texas. Lainie, this is Pete."
"How do
you do, sir," she said as she took off her hat in salute. "It's a
pleasure to meet you."
"Same here,
Lainie. Your first trip here to Electro City?"
"Yes…I
never knew it was this big. El Paso is a decently-sized city, but
nothin' compared to this."
"How long
are you staying?"
"Only a
week. I've been here since Saturday, and I promised I would cook
a four-alarm chili filled with jalapeno and habenero peppers and an additional
spice, ginger. Someone recommended adding ginger for more natural
spice."
"Wow, you're
serious. I hope it won't burn through bowls."
"I did
bring special bowls from El Paso so I could make sure that doesn't happen."
Pete laughed.
"Okay. Well, I don't want to hold you up, so I'll tell you, the peppers
are over there past the bell peppers, and the ginger root is sitting at
the end."
"Thank
you very much."
As the
pair got out of his range, Victor whispered, "Looks like your disguise
is working so far."
"Yeah,
it is. I just hope we can get out of here safely."
Within
an hour, the shopping was completed. They waited patiently at the
check-out line.
"Vic, I
hate to ask you this, but could you pay for this? I'll pay you back."
"Hey, no
problem. You don't have to pay me back. I'll just tell them
I'm paying for my cousin."
"Thanks."
When they
reached the front of the line, Victor paid for the groceries and gave them
his explanation about her first trip to a bigger city than her own.
As soon
as they were done, they took the shopping cart out to his car.
Little
did they know that Sikes was sitting in his car just across the street.
"She said the range on this thing is two miles. I sure hope she's
right about this. We need that information."
Lainie
looked at Victor. "I'm going to call home, okay?"
"Sure thing."
He then looked over across the street and noticed someone looking at him
and Lainie rather strangely. "Psst, Lainie, come here, quick."
"What's
wrong, Vic?"
"That car
over there. Someone's watching us. I think he also has some
kind of bugging device."
"We'll
see about that," she said in subtle anger.
"No, don't.
You use your magic and you'll give yourself away for sure. Try to
think of a fake place when you call."
"Good idea.
I'll send Ace a telepathic message while I'm on the phone." Lainie
then went to the Pay Vid-Phone to contact home.
Ace sat
in the living room and petted Zina comfortably. "I hope Angie's doing
all right."
Then, Angel
stated, "Angie is on the line. Or, should that be Lainie?"
"Patch
it through, Angel."
Lainie
soon appeared on the screen. "Hi, Ace. Listen, we'll be on
our way home shortly." Ace, someone's watching us and has a special
bugging device. I think it's Sikes up to no good again.
"Okay.
How long will you need?"
"Probably
about 20 minutes."
"All right,
I'll see you here." So, you need a phony place and name of the
date, huh? Okay, I have the perfect suggestion for you.
"I want
to make sure I'm ready for my date with Sonny Boy Surge at the Sunset Casino
on Saturday night."
Sikes heard
exactly what he had hoped. "Finally, I got it! Now to intercept
Sonny Boy Surge and get that exclusive!" He then sped off, not realizing
he was completely tricked.
After Lainie
hung up the telephone, she returned to Victor. "Did he drive off?"
"Yeah.
What'd you do?"
"I stated
a fake location and person. Sikes thinks I'm going with Sonny Boy
to the Sunset Casino."
"Good.
While he's on a wild goose chase, we can get home safely. Let's go."
Victor
and Lainie soon left the supermarket to reach home…the Magic Express.
Sikes, in
his car, got on the telephone with his editor-in-chief. "Miss-Miss
Corliss! I got it! I got the info!"
"Take it
easy, Sikes, calm down. What information did you get?"
"Everything.
She's going with Sonny Boy Surge to the Sunset Casino!"
"That's
fantastic, Sikes! Get down there and make Sonny Boy spill the beans.
We'll have that exclusive out by Monday!"
"Get that
front page ready, Miss Corliss. The scoop is ours!"
He then
got to the Sunset Casino but was immediately stopped by the two bouncers
at the door. "Let me in, idiots! I have a story to get and
Sonny Boy's got it for me!"
Tiny made
sure he would not get in so easily. "Sorry, pal, but Mr. Surge is
a busy man. You'll have to come back later."
"I want
that exclusive or I'll sue for violation of the First Amendment of the
Constitution!"
While Tiny
kept him busy, Glare contacted Sonny Boy. "Boss, there's a man saying
he'll sue if he doesn't get some kind of story from you."
"Story?
What story? Get some info from 'im."
Glare then
looked at Sikes. "Tell us about the story."
"No way!"
"If you
want to keep your arms, buddy, you'd better tell us about this story."
Realizing
Sikes was outsized and outnumbered, he said, "I want the information concerning
his date with Angela Jacobs."
Up in his
office, Sonny Boy overheard the statement. "What!? Who said
I was going out with Jacobs!? I'm headin' down there. Shades,
wait here."
"Okay,
boss."
Sonny Boy
steamed with anger about this developing problem. When he reached
the door and got outside, he said, "So, Ronald Sikes. I hear you're
even worse than Paparazzo. Now what's this about a date with Angela
Jacobs?"
"I overheard
Angie on the telephone talking with her friend Ace Cooper about the first
date on Saturday night. Here's the evidence to prove it." He
played the micro disk, containing the information.
The younger
crime boss laughed it off. "You are really dumb, you know that."
"Spill
it, Surge! What are the details of your date here Saturday!?"
"There
are no details, idiot! In case you forgot, Angela Jacobs is
a magician. She more than likely relayed the wrong information on
purpose to throw you off the track. She wants you to think I was
going with her on Saturday night, but the truth is I will be at the Sinsun
Hotel on Saturday night, not here! Boys, throw him outta here.
And Sikes, I will hit you and that Inquisitive paper of yours with
a major lawsuit if you try to fabricate anything! I respect Jacobs,
but she'll never be a girlfriend of mine! Now buzz off!"
The two
bouncers threw him hard to the bottom of the staircase. "You can't
do this to me!"
"Oh, no.
Just try it again, I dare you."
His two
henchmen popped knuckles on each hand.
Sikes decided
this would not work out and left. When he got to his car, he said,
"I don't get it. I distinctively heard her voice, and she said the
date would be here…unless she knew I had that bug! I wonder if…that
girl I saw with Bob Raven's son. No, it couldn't be. She's
from Iowa, not Texas. Then again…of course! That girl with
Raven's son was Jacobs in disguise! Nice try, my dear, but
I know part of the truth now. All I need is the location, and the
story is mine!"
He then
contacted his boss by cell phone again. "Miss Corliss, Jacobs set
me up. She stated the wrong person and location, but I know at least
with whom her date is. It's Bob Raven's son Victor."
"Excellent
work! I thought there was something going on between those two.
All we need now is where the date will take place. Can you
find out any information?"
"I'll try
my best. I'll first get to his father, Bob Raven himself."
Victor and
Lainie arrived back at the Express, where everyone had waited to help unload
the groceries.
As soon
as that was accomplished, Lainie spun around a couple of times and reverted
back to being Angie again. "Wow, it worked. Everyone thought
I was his cousin Lainie."
She explained
the whole story to her friends, all except Mona, who left earlier to tend
to her father's casino.
"You did
great, Angie," Ace stated proudly. "You managed to get all the grocery
shopping done and got home safely."
"Dudette,
you rock," said Cosmo with a chuckle. "I wish I could do that…really."
"I know
what you mean, Cosmo. At least things are starting to look up for
me. As for Sikes, he's on that wild goose chase after Sonny Boy Surge."
Victor
then looked at his watch. "I'd better get to the DNA Mall.
Dad said he was going to need me for a few tasks this afternoon.
Angie, I'll be tied up the rest of the week working for Dad and those riding
courses. I'll see you on Saturday night."
"Okay,
Vic."
After a
heartfelt kiss to each other, he left the Magic Express to go join his
father at the DNA Mall.
As for Bob
Raven himself, he called the Planet Electric restaurant to double-check
the reservation. "Yes, my son's reservation is still good for Saturday
evening, right?"
"Relax,
Mr. Raven," said the owner, "the reservation for your son and Angela Jacobs
is still good. And, I'm making sure I don't tell anyone about it.
In fact, I'm the only person here who knows. I know they're both
under constant media scrutiny right now, and the last thing I want is a
media blitz."
"Good.
I appreciate that. They want this night to be special, and it won't
be if the media's all over them."
"I completely
understand, Mr. Raven. We'll see to it that everything is done in
secrecy come Saturday night."
"Thank
you."
Meanwhile,
his son Victor had just entered the mall to join his father at the security
office.
Sikes,
though, noticed and came in from a safe distance behind. "You're
mine, Victor Raven. I'll get the real scoop of the century."
Victor
took out his security clearance card and entered the office on the fourth
floor. "Hi, Dad."
"Son, how
did the shopping trip go?"
"It went
just fine. Everyone thought 'Lainie' was my real cousin from El Paso.
She even bought jalapeno and habenero peppers. She said she wants
to make the hottest chili ever attempted."
"Oh, boy,
that'll be a stomach-burner for sure."
Sikes soon
was at the door of the office and quietly knocked.
"I wonder
who that could be?" asked Victor curiously.
"Maybe
it's a lost child."
The second
Victor opened the door, though, he noticed. "Sikes!"
He tried
to slam the door, but Sikes pushed his way past Victor. "Nice try,
but I know part of the truth now. You're the lucky man for
Miss Jacobs's first date. Now give me the details as to where
your first date will take place."
"For your
trashy publication…never! You can't force it out of me."
"Or me,"
said his father, coming to his defense. "You can't just burst in
here asking for information that is not any of your business."
"Listen,
old man!" Sikes shouted angrily. "The public has the right to know!
You are not going to hide this from me! Either tell me now,
or I'll make you talk!"
"You can't
make us," said Mr. Raven.
Sikes then
said something horrifying. "If you don't tell me right now…I'll go
after Angela! I know she was in disguise when she went shopping earlier!"
Victor
became concerned for his girlfriend's safety. I can't believe
this. I've got to think of something, but not the Planet Electric
or Sunset Casino. Wait…I think I've got it. "All right,
I'll tell you where the first date is."
"Victor,
no. If you do that, then she may never forgive you."
"I'm sorry,
Dad. I have to protect Angie. I don't want her to get hurt."
He then gave a wink to his father.
Mr. Raven
nodded, realizing his son was about to play a trick of his own.
Victor
then turned to Sikes. "Our first date is Saturday night at 7:00 at
the Croesus Palace casino. That's the honest-to-goodness truth."
"Thank
you…very much, Victor Raven. You see how easy that was? Now
I have the story of the century! Farewell, friends, and thank you
again for all your support." He then ran out of the room to the relief
of father and son.
"That reporter
is really stupid," said Mr. Raven. "He didn't even bother
verifying that your date isn't at the Croesus Palace at all.
It looks like things will go as planned."
"I hope
so. I just hope Angie won't be mad at me about him finding out I'm
her date."
"Sikes
has a true reporter's senses. He can tell when someone's in disguise.
It's not your fault."
"I'd better
at least notify her of this situation." Victor then went to the telephone
to call Angie.
At the
Express, Angie picked up the line. "Hello?"
"Angie,
it's Victor."
She could
tell the distress in his voice. "What happened?"
"Sikes
figured out that I'm your date. He saw through your disguise after
you called the Magic Express earlier. I'm sorry."
Angie shook
her head but was not angered. "It's not your fault, Vic. I
should have used telepathy instead of the phone. We both made mistakes,
but we can learn from them. Did he get our location, though?"
"Nope.
I told him our date's at the Croesus."
"Wonderful!
That's at least one thing on our side."
"So, you're
not…angry with me?"
"Victor,
of course not. The one to be angry at is Sikes, not you. You're
doing the best you can, but Sikes is a seriously ruthless reporter.
He obviously said he would threaten to harm me if you didn't say anything."
"Yes, he
did. Thanks, Angie. Thanks for understanding."
"Victor,
I love you, that's all that matters. There's no such thing as a perfect
relationship. There are bound to be bumps in this road, but we'll
deal with them together."
"That's
why I love you. You're truly one-of-a-kind to me."
"I'll see
you on Saturday, Victor. 7:00 at Planet Electric, right?"
"Right.
Bye, Angie." He calmly hung up the phone.
"So?"
"She's
not mad at me at all. It's Sikes."
"Good.
See, she loves you for being you, not for money or fame. Boy, won't
Sikes be surprised when he goes to the Croesus and learns you and Angie
are not there?"
"Exactly.
There's no way he'll ever know for sure now. Spade and Diamond will
have a good time with him."
"Well,
we need to get back to work."
Victor
nodded with a smile. "Sure thing, Dad."
Sikes quickly
drove back to his office at The Inquisitive and spoke to his boss.
"I've got it. Victor Raven and Angela Jacobs will be having their
date Saturday night at 7:00 at the Croesus Palace!"
With a
wicked smile, Corliss stated, "Well done, Sikes. You will be rewarded
handsomely with this information. Besides, we don't even have to
give away the 100,000 electro-dollars now. We'll have the exclusive
story out by Monday. Now let's see cute little Angela's reaction
when she finds out."
"Right.
We've got the story of the century right here, and Jacobs can't stop it,
neither can Cooper or any of the Raven family. She'll be covered
for life."
"Okay,
but let's lay low for now. Her date is Saturday evening, so we'll
strike then. I can't wait to see the look in her eyes when we find
out what she's up to on her precious first date."
"We'll
be raking in more dough than we can count!"
Corliss
then stood up and waved her arms while stating, "I can just see the headline
now…Female Magician with Businessman's Son. It must be a prize-winning
story!"
"Agreed.
We've got her in the net now."
"I personally
want to go with you, so I can make certain you get that byline."
The two
of them considered throwing a huge celebration for what they thought
was going to be the tabloid story of the year. However, they had
no idea what was in store for them on Saturday evening…
As for the
remainder of the week, things were incredibly quiet. For Angie's
personal safety, she did not venture too far away from the Express, in
case people were still after the information about her date.
Also, Angel
made sure the only calls going through were between Ace and his friends.
No strangers or reporters could call into the Express at all.
Angie did
the best she could to remain calm about her growing media scrutiny, since
she had a lot of trouble adjusting to it. During her control practice
on Thursday, she lost control of the magic temporarily, which caused a
short in the phone line in the practice room.
Ace knew
this was not going to be an easy process and understood she could not maintain
100% control all the time. At least the only damage that could be
sustained would be in the practice room and not the entire Magic Express.
On Friday
night, as Angie went to sleep, she knew she was less than 24 hours from
going through something so important in her life, it ranked near the top
with graduation. To keep herself calm, she was able to think pleasant
thoughts, like the times she had with her parents. The next day could
possibly change her entire life…by just one date…
