VENUS 13 - JACK WILDER [2]

5: completely abnormal

months earlier

New York city had been the last thrill any one of the Horsemen had felt in a long time. Even more so, New Orleans, when they had been chased down by the FBI, who's main agent on the case had actually been undercover to see if the Horsemen could live up to their potential. After their final show, everything ended up slowing down, the days stretching for what seemed like decades. Being in hiding for months upon months was bringing them down, rendering them impatient and aching for freedom.

One of them in particular was fed up with hiding in the shadows of the separate apartments they each stayed in. She was growing tired of not being able to show her face to the people in the outside world, having to keep her head down had she ever decided to leave. She wished for something different, for the normalcy to come crashing back to her. She began to miss the life she had before the Eye, including the piranhas that wouldn't think twice about ripping her to shreds.

One day, she had reached her breaking point. She was boiled up to the tip of the tea kettle that screamed with caution. She asked for a way out and the Eye gave it to her, regardless of the disapproval from the other Horsemen who had become a part of her everyday life. It was strange, the arguments that had ensued the day before she left, or was taken away, or whatever had happened to her. None of them knew. She was simply there one day and gone the next, never to be seen or heard from again. How's that for normalcy?

After Henley had dramatically left, it was clear that everyone was affected by not having her presence around. They each missed her smiles, the motherly vibe she gave off as she cared for everyone in a special way that they all appreciated. They missed hearing her speak her opinion every time Daniel would say something stupid. They missed how she would comfort someone if they had been feeling rather down. They never noticed how much she took care of them, not enough to see that no one ever really took care of her.

For Kate, it was difficult being the only female in the Horsemen. All the men had each other to converse with about whatever it was that male magicians were interested in. She had lost her pretend sister, the only person she could truly open up to in times of need. Of course, she had Jack, but that was different. She couldn't talk to Jack whenever she was angry with Jack or annoyed with Jack or so helplessly in love with Jack that she didn't know what to do. She needed that female figure in her life, and without it, she was lost.

She wasn't the only one that had felt empty without Henley around. Daniel was probably the most heartbroken out of all of them. He was an expert at masking his emotions behind his I-don't-care façade, rarely ever smiling or laughing or enjoying himself. However, whenever he did either of those things, Henley was always by his side. Soon, everyone noticed that Daniel's boring looks weren't like the ones he usually wore. His eyes filled with dreariness and his head was bowed down like a lost puppy. It was like he no longer had a purpose.

Sometimes, he wondered if there was something he could have done to make her stay. At times, they played off their friendship as if they hated each other, but in reality it was the complete opposite. It wasn't enough. Everyone knew that Henley was as independent as they came, never allowing anyone else to influence her decisions on what would ultimately affect the outcome of her life. That's why it was so easy for her to just get up and leave them all behind.

Kate never understood how she could do such a thing. She questioned whether or not Henley truly cared about them, or if her desperation for freedom was too strong to resist. After her departure, Kate made sure to give her boyfriend more hugs than usual, more kisses than was socially acceptable, and more appreciation so that he knew how much she loved him. She never before wanted to be tied down to a man, but without Jack, she predicted she would be a completely different person. She never wanted to know what that person would be like.