Blue Illusion

7. The card trick

The theatre lights blended me and the audience reminded a black courtain. The first stage as the magican's assistant, my hands were cold from fear. The redhead walked to the edge of the stage and warmed the audience up, he was good with words, and a little tiring sometimes. Concentarte - my mind told me, but my throat dried.

"You will see magic, that is beyond your imagination," the redhead's words were coming from way too far away. "Give a huge applause for the only, incredible illusionist Kun!"

The name of the one I hated brought me back to reality, soon he appeared as a swarm of blue birds, that formed a person and turned into him. Some people sprang up from their chairs, a lady fainted right next to the stage.

"Welcome to my show!" Kun's voice was steady, his rat smile wide, his clever eyes tossed a glance my way.

I've learned it all, my role from the redhead, as Kun hasn't given me anymore lessons since the orangery card play.

I tried to avoid the left balcony with my gaze, Taeil was there and I was wonderig if he's still mad, that I had ruined his recital, I was pretty scared to talk to him he was too handsome, and too talented to forgive.

But now I needed to focus because Kun introduced me to the crowd and I bowed down. Applause, not a lot, and the forst performance - vainshing - rabbits, chairs, people, the stage. Kun was talented, the tricks were trained to perfection and soon he had a young scared lady on a chair. She nodded at each of his words and he smiled, he could turn her into a porcupine and she still would be happy to just be with him.

"Mixture," said Kun and the redhead ran to the small table I was standing next to. He grabbed a bright violet drink and hurried to Kun. I moved a step closer, I was supposed to bring the phial with water, but when I grabbed the table a secret shelf opened revealing philas with liquids, I was about to close it when one caught my eye. I had seen this substance before, same colour and density.

"Strange lemonade," Jae's words rang in my ears, while I moved my finger few inches around the phial to read the description - cyanide. My heart hammered loud.

"Adi!" I glanced up. "Don't sleep!" Kun looked at me and I faked a smile closing the secret shelf quietly. I grabbed the glass phial and hurried to the magican.

He took it from me and the liquid changed colour to bright pink.

"Drink," K looked at the girl, while I followed the radhead backstage.

I was shaking all over. Has he noticed? This was so scary, I was playing games with a monster and he had the upper hand mind-reading and... There is no magic I reminded myself while the girl on stage started to grow elephant ears and a tiger tile, and dance ballet, what seemed to amuse Kun. I glanced at the redhead, who was standing right next to me, maybe if we could become friends he would tell me something useful. Why poison Jae before he had killed him? Had he poisoned Sicheng too? This thought made me freeze, but the show must go on, so when the girl came back to her rigt from and recived a red rose, still she left the stage escorted by two bodyguards, I was needed again to show a card trick. The only trick I've learned and Kun eyed me up with this fox dark eyes.

"I need a volunteer," I glanced around stopping in the middle of the stage

Pople stared around. Kun's fangirls were quiet, they hated me as they suspected I was more than Kun's assistant. If they only knew, who he was and what he did to me.

An older man raised his hand in the forth row and I took a breath. Were cards like energy, was it energy I could understand and feel, a illusion. A few girls squealed and I glanced behind me but Kun was nowhere to see, so I followed their gaze right up at the left balcony, where Taeil raised his hand.