Torn and Restored

Chapter 3 - Queen of Clubs

Kane had expected this to happen. He knew that Will couldn't fool him. 

"Too bad", he thought to himself. 

He couldn't get all the secrets after all. As a stunning surprise, he could see Will rise. The gigantic figure rose and dusted his coat. As a stunning anticlimax came the display of the bullet in his hand which was accepted by a thunderous applause.

 "Well, that was one tough bullet. Nearly caught me, though. And you may take this bullet as a souvenir, Mister", Will winked.

 Kane was lost for words. He could clearly see that he had been humiliated. He gently applauded and got the bullet. He could clearly see his initials. He left the stage slowly with millions of thoughts storming his brain. He needed answers but he had failed to get them.

 Will left the stage for a few moments and the audience needed a moment or two to settle down. He met Tarquin at the backstage and gave him a warm, thankful hug. He had accepted the challenge only because that he had Tarquin. That guy could always think what Will would do next and Will felt that they were connected. It was his quick thinking had led to the duplication of the bullet at short notice. If not for him, Will wouldn't be fortunate enough to be breathing. 

"Everything is fine if it ends well", Will reminded. 

"Damn you. Should've left you to die out there. The next time you take a decision like that I'll be the one shooting you. Trust me" Tarquin grinned.

 Will knew that Tarquin had a lot more to scold and he was letting Will go only because that the show hadn't completed yet. He thanked God for not having Olivia at the backstage as her advice could go all day long. Will made it to the stage before Olivia could make her way out. He could still feel her eyes trying to burn him off existence as she left. 

"Hope you enjoyed the previous act. Now that the time is perfect, we shall proceed to the next one," announced Olivia. 

People are usually really fond of that trick.

Metamorphism is a rare act and this was the first time they were performing it. But when performed off the cuff, Will knew it could turn a lot of heads and that was everything he wanted.Initially, it was Will and Tarquin who had started rehearsing the trick. But Will had to pull out as his huge frame made the trick even more difficult. He was left with no other choice but to bring Olivia into the trick. He hated to admit the fact that after the replacement the trick looked much more appealing. As the preparations were being done he couldn't help but wonder how many more men like Kane had come and the kind of things they were up to. There were just two more tricks to finish and he needed to look into that problems. He couldn't walk into every stage scared of what might happen. 

Olivia and Tarquin were ready. Olivia had managed to change her dress. She wore a glossy yellow corset that went well with her long yellow skirt. She never even tried to look at him but he could clearly make it out from her eyes that she was angry. He made a mental note that the post-show session was going to turn really bad for him. Tarquin was in his routine black shirt and trousers. He looked much more confident than her and never showed any signs of nervousness.

"We shall begin the act. At first, I will tie up their hands and feet", he said as he proceeded towards them.Will bent down to tie Olivia's feet up. Tarquin did her hands with utmost care. One improper knot and the whole trick could go wayward. Olivia had her eyes closed until everything was done. Then she showed her hands and feet to the audience.

 Will wasn't ready to call upon another stranger to check those after all that had happened.He then moved towards the large trunk which was positioned at the centre of the stage. He opened it and the people could see it empty from the huge electronic displays on either side. He banged each side with his hands to prove that they were solid. 

After he felt he was convincing, he lifted Olivia and placed her into the trunk."She's been having a tough day today and this is the best way to keep her mouth shut", he proclaimed as he shut the trunk close. He clicked the lock shut and threw the key towards the audience. A young boy in the crowd caught it and he seemed to attract a lot of attention for the next few moments.

"Just to be double sure that she stays there", Will motioned towards Tarquin who jumped on the trunk and landed with a thud. He parted his feet a bit and made himself stable on the curved top of the trunk.

Will displayed a red velvet sheet enough for the people to see that it was an ordinary one. It was the customary reveal of both sides of the cloth. Then he took position near the trunk.

"Don't blink, for you may miss the most wonderful spectacle ever"He threw the sheet to cover Tarquin's figure. It wasn't his best throw and his slipped effort just managed to cover Tarquin and just as it descended, Olivia had managed to roll out through the fake rear side. But she had failed to free her hand which in turn made it really hard for her to stand up on her feet. Tarquin had lowered himself behind the trunk. But when she finally made her way up it was too late. The cloth was designed to make its fall in the slowest way. But even that couldn't stop people from noticing what had just happened before their eyes.

 Almost everyone had seen Olivia stand up from behind. Even Tarquin's perfect fall didn't appeal anyone. They knew he must've gone through the same partition.

"Guess what, there is no need to open the trunk to see where the pretty blond boy is hiding", someone yelled from the crowd. Will could hear several curses, laughs and all kinds of mockery aimed at him.

Will just couldn't believe what had just happened. Not even once during their practice had this happen. Olivia had found the really wrong time to mess it up. She put her head down in shame to accept her mistake.He turned his back to the crowd and made his way to the backstage. He gestured the technicians to bring the curtains down. Tears rolled over his cheek as he left the stage.

Just as the curtains began to lower, the crowd could see the symbol of his show, a Triquetra - A three-cornered complicated shapes of three vescae , with an added circle around it. But he knew that it wasn't just the symbol that had descended. It was his name that he had been building all these years that had come plummeting down.

A/N: I'm a huge fan of Penn and Teller. The bullet catch in the previous chapter is their version of the famous act. If you can spare a few minutes, do check them out. I've been putting a lot of effort to upload each chapter by Friday and will continue to do the same in the upcoming weeks too. I appreciate everyone who's read the chapter and dropped those valuable reviews. It means a lot to me, personally. Keep supporting.

With more cliffhangers,

Lio