SPECTRE ➸ Daniel Atlas

~ten~

TEN

❝Children see magic because they look for it.❞

✧✧✧✧

After intermission it was time for the final trick of the night, for which everyone had been waiting patiently. Excitement and nervousness filled Gen as the time got closer and closer.

Merritt walked on the stage, a large smile sprawled on his face as he was about to start the final act. Tonight the Five Horsemen were going to make some things right, by returning the rightful money of the people back to them. The money Arthur Tressler had stolen from them. The Horsemen were going make him pay for it.

Everything was ready, every piece on the chessboard was in the place it was checkmate. They had worked hard for this, and now there was no turning back.

"At the end of the intermission, we asked you to right your current bank balance, seal it an envelope." Merritt started looking at the audience. "Now it's time to get those envelope out. Everyone take them out."

The audience reached for the envelopes, curious to find what the horsemen were planning to do.

"Now everyone I need you to shout out all your names at once." Merritt motioned them to shout with his hands waving them in the air. The audience quickly and started shouting their names all at once.

"Clement? Frannick?" Merritt called out the names they had already decided on.

"Yeah, up here." Clement shouted from his seat as he stood up.

"Oh way up there." Merritt commented before continuing. "Dina Robertson?"

"That's me." A smiling women stood up.

"Okay names, names. Let's go." He motioned for them to continue.

"Josepha Hickey?" Merritt asked.

"That's me."

"Josepha, I want you to, uh, focus on your balance and count to ten out loud." Merritt said to her.

"One, two, three, four, five-"

"Stop," said Merritt. "Is the first digit five?"

"Yes." The woman nodded, surprise written on her face.

"Do it again, this time faster."

"One, two, three, four, five, six-"

"Stop. six, again."

"One, two-"

"Josepha is your bank balance 562 dollars as of today?" Merritt wondered, as the woman's face fell for a second.

"Yeah, that's what I got."

"You're wrong." Merritt said before moving to other woman. "Okay Dina." He put one of his hands on the side of his face, closing his eyes deep in thought. "1-4-7-7."

The audience looked expectantly at the woman to deny or confirm.

"Yeah." She nodded.

"You think it is, but in fact you too are wrong." Merritt stated making everyone confused.

"Clement, you do not have 6500 dollar in your account. In fact everybody stand up." He said motioning for everyone to stand up. "Put your envelopes to your forehead. Focus on your number."

Everyone did as they told and started focusing on their current bank balance.

"Oh, oh, this is. . .oh dear. Just as I feared. This is strange. You know I hate to say this, but you all are wrong." Merritt informed the audience. "Every last one you is dead wrong about what you think it is in your account."