"Maxwell! Maxwell!"

The tall, thin man pursed his lips. He'd been hoping not to be seen by anyone. He pushed through the crowd, in a desperate attempt to outrun whoever was after him. Unfortunately, they stopped him, pulling on his arm (as his shoulder was too far up).

"Maxwell, is it true that your real name is William?"

The man nodded.

"If you'll excuse me, my good man," he said sharply and firmly. "I'm going to be late to the show."

"Oh, of course!" the man with a small notebook stammered. William had become rather intimidating, after all. That was something that he'd been working on. "I apologize for any inconvenience."

"Quite all right," mumbled the magician as he took leave.

William looked up at the theater—the "Grand Pine". He'd heard wonderful things about it, and had now been considering performing there for a while. After all, it was very close to where he was staying. Now all he had to do was get a feel for it.

"One ticket to the ballet, please," he said to the elderly woman at the counter. She nodded and accepted his dollar. "Thank you."

"Enjoy the show, handsome," she replied, handing him a ticket.

Once Will had found his seat, he got comfortable and looked around. It wasn't the largest of theaters, but it would certainly have to do. He tried to ignore the people around him, whispering as they saw him.

"That's him."

"The Shadow Man."

"The magician, right? What's he doin' here?"

"Maxwell the Great."

Of course, William couldn't say he objected to the attention. It was all he'd dreamed of just a year ago, on the train to San Francisco. And it only took him a year to find the attention he'd wanted! He found himself wondering why he hadn't moved to California in the first place. Then again, perhaps he wouldn't have found the Codex.

The theater went dark, indicating the beginning of the performance. A hush moved throughout, starting from loud murmurs to silence. A piano began playing a classical tune, most likely a Beethoven piece. Most of the audience had heard it before.

It began slowly, allowing the dancers to begin their flowery movements. Everyone watched curiously as the women dressed in pale green tutus stepped lightly across the stage to the piece. They lifted their arms, emulating trees blowing in the wind. As the song picked up, suddenly changing its tone, a young and small woman in a pink dress took center stage, presumably finding herself "lost" in the "forest". Will tilted his head. The smallest young woman moved with a much lighter grace than the women around her. The women that acted as trees were taller and swayed threateningly towards the shorter girl. The "main character" tiptoed around to the pace of the song, her movements certainly more childlike than the other dancers. The audience could only assume that's what distinguished her from the other "characters".

The story unfolded so that the "trees" began to follow the girl's dance steps, and vice versa as they changed steps. A few minutes in, the song came to a dramatic pause, playing a much slower part as the young woman was greeted by a male dancer. The man appeared madly in love with the woman, but she did not return the feeling. Amusingly enough, the male dancer found himself "cornered" by the "trees", who chased him away. The audience chuckled at the sight. The ballet wrapped up with the young woman being protected by the trees, who catered to her every whim. They all acted, now, as servants rather than attempting to chase her out of the forest.

The performance came to an end, the final bars of the song being played just as the curtain closed. The audience clapped politely as the small group of dancers came forward and took a bow, the littlest one with the large eyes being in the center of the line. William smiled as she did. After all, her wide grin seemed contagious.

In the lobby of the theater, many people found their way towards William, commenting on his work and how incredible his previous performances had been. He thanked them all, deciding to wait until they had all gone so that he could speak with the owner of the theater. Just as the crowd began to thin out, the magician began to look for the office. He ducked into a hallway which he assumed to be where he could find it.

"Oh, excuse me," he said as a woman in a red trench coat brushed past him. She turned to face him. "I, uh . . . I'm looking for the main office," he said.

The young woman's eyes were larger than life itself—a truly notable feature. Before he could say another word, he realized who it was, taking note of her short, childlike stature.

"Th-the office is the last door on th' left," she stuttered in a slight and soft Southern accent. William looked at her for a moment before answering.

"Many thanks, young lady," he said. "Your performance was riveting, I might add."

The young woman blushed. She smiled shyly at the tall man that hovered above her.

"Thank you kindly," she replied, her voice barely a whisper. "That's awful nice of you, sir."

"I'm only speaking the truth," he said. He then lowered his voice. "Just take care not to get too close to the trees outside." He gave her a wink.

She smiled even wider now, her teeth showing. The magician, becoming bolder, decided to speak again.

"Do you perform here often?"

"Yes, sir," she answered. "I've never performed anywhere else."

"Well, I'm looking to use this theater for my own performances, as well," he said. "I may be seeing you quite often."

The girl nodded, her smile changing to an expression of wonder and recognition.

"I've seen your posters, I think," she said softly. "Aren't you Maxwell the Great? The Shadow Man?"

William bowed low and took the girl's hand.

"Correct, young lady."

"Oh . . ."

The girl blushed, matching her red coat as the magician planted a tiny kiss on her hand. She gasped, unsure of how to respond.

"Why, aren't you a gentleman?" she said.

"I try to be," Will replied, straightening himself up. "That's how my mother raised me."

"I'm sure. She sounds like a lovely woman."

"Oh, she was. She's not the only one, though."

The little dancer giggled, now attempting to hide her face. It was as though no one had ever paid her a compliment before. She assumed it was the man's foreign nature and deep, charming voice—it was new and exciting. As she looked back, both her and the magician noticed another man standing behind her. His expression was not one of amusement or even remotely happy. The young woman's face fell with disappointment.

"Apologies, Philip; I was . . . I was directing this man to the office," she stammered. "He was lookin' for the boss."

"No worries, sweetie," Philip replied, his eyes scouring the tall British man in front of them. The little dancer looked almost afraid. "Say, you're a new face around here," Philip said. "You planning on staying, pal?"

"I am," William replied. "I intend on performing here."

"Well, welcome to the Grand Pines team," Philip said, extending a hand. William shook it, smiling politely. "The name's Philip. I was up on stage, too, you know."

The magician recognized the face—he had gotten chased away by the trees.

"And you did a fine job, sir," William said. "Now, young lady, I never caught your name-"

"Charlie," the young dancer blurted, eager to speak to the charming British man. "My name is Charlie."

"Charmed."

Philip suddenly pulled Charlie closer to him by her shoulder, from behind. William silently compared Philip to an animal claiming his territory. Charlie reluctantly looked at her shoulder, where his head rested.

"Come along, Charlie; we've got a dinner to attend," he announced. "Let's leave the magic man to his business."

Charlie nodded and carefully pulled away from the man behind her.

"Good evenin', Mister Maxwell."

They both walked down the hallway, disappearing around the corner. The magician lingered for a small amount of time.

"Good night, Miss Charlie."