Deception || Jack Wilder [1]

| 21. the final heist

"mothers, lovers, old men, watching the key sink into the water and... their secret is locked away forever. Real, and the same time, magical."

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MAEVE BLANKLY STARED AT her shoes as the horsemen's got everything ready for the grand finale.

Everyone else fixed up the machine that the horsemen will use for their final performance. It was supposed to project their figures onto the sides of the building along with other designs and projections.

Maeve slipped on and off her leather gloves in attempt to try and get her mind to think of something else other than Jack.

She managed to get up out of bed as Henley did everything else. She chose for Maeve to wear her leather pants, a blazer, and her converse. After slipping the items on, Henley curled Maeve's hair and put a small flower in it.

"Hey." Danny's voice snapped her out of her trance. "Are you ready?"

Maeve nodded, not wanting to talk at the moment. She glanced over at the co-ringleader for a split second and then averted her attention to the camera in front of her.

Danny gave her a sympathetic smile before turning on the machine. After flipping two switches and cranking a few knobs, he pressed a glowing button that extended off of the side of the contraption.

Maeve stood infront of one of the side of the machine, the white glow around the mic and camera catching her attention.

"What is magic?" Danny's projected voice slightly vibrated the building under the horsemen's feet. "Magic is deception, but deception designed to delight, to entertain, to inspire. It's about belief."

"Faith."

"Trust." That word sounded foreign on Henley's lips as she glanced at Maeve, who was too busy faking the 'okay' look to notice.

"Without those qualities, magic as an art form would no longer exist."

"But what happens if these qualities are not used for their higher purpose?" Maeve asked. "And instead they were used to cheat, lie."

"For personal gain, or for greed. Then it is no longer magic." Danny looked over at Maeve as well, knowing that the words he spoke were directed to himself.

"It would no longer be an art of joy, happiness." Maeve's voice didn't even sound like her usual voice. All she knew was to fake it until it's over.

"It's crime."

"And so tonight," Maeve went on. "For our final act, you are going to help us set a few things right." She gave the camera a smile, which felt completely strange for her.

Danny, Merritt, and Henley exchanged nervous glances. The fact that the smile she gave was almost believable scared all of them.

"Showtime." Merritt rubbed his hands together once they turned off the cameras. Danny snapped his fingers, causing the dummies to arise on the roof as they headed to the elevator.

The silence on elevator ride up felt strange. It felt different, but in a good way as their year of initiation came to an end.