Now You Miss Me

T H R E E

Henley

A door creaks shut somewhere behind him. This man who has lost so much and lived so little. Danny. My Danny.

My heart is a humming bird, beating it's wings fast, so fast, as if it senses a predator near by and is trying to escape.

It's right in a way. There is a predator nearby after all.

"Why? " The word is soft, made of empty air as it escapes his mouth and I can almost see the sag in his shoulders, the burden of curiosity bearing down upon him.
Atlas, the Greek legend, holding the weight of the world on his shoulders, a punishment for his transgressions. A smile tugs at the corner of my mouth.

How fitting - Daniel Atlas : the magician whose illusion was to make the world on his back disappear. To make mortals believe he had no burden.

But already I have drifted too long in my thoughts. The silence stretches between us, stark and uncomfortable.

So here's what I'll do, I'll distract him, confuse him, anger him like I always do. Put up my iron facade.

" Tut Tut Danny, actual concern? For an organic life form no less? You've become soft while I've been.. away. "

That's it Henley, keep it light, fluffy, meaningless.

" Stop that."

Another murmur, a hint of sound. But his eyes, they speak volumes.

Of abandonment, betrayal and most of all, loss. This man thought he lost me. Thought I had chosen to lose him.

"Stop what Danny? We're colleagues as you've always said, no more no less. Why should my health affect you in any way? Why would you care if I was dead and lying in a gutter for that matter... I must admit all this concern is.... "

But a rumble begins in his chest and soon there is a beast before me, banging the wooden wall next to it. Shouting a word repeatedly.
Sinking to his knees as though the weight of the world had grown too much.
The illusion shattered.

" STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT". The last syllable is harsh and jagged. Broken.

His next breath rattles in his chest, he sighs, "Just stop. You know exactly who you are - were to me. Just... Stop."

I decide it's time to lift the veil of his eyes.
I decide to be cruel.

"How much do you really know about me? Or any of your fellow magicians, for that matter."

His fists clench for three seconds . "I know enough." He replies curtly.

"Bullshit", I say scornfully
"you know only how much the Eye wants you to know."

He's recovered his facade now and it's in full force. I can barely see any of the Danny I know.

"Let's agree to disagree on that, alright?"
But I'm not going to let him get off that easy.

"Fine, let's start off easy.  Let's start easy with Jack, how much do you really know about Jack Wilder?"

A slight wrinkle between his brow, but it's gone almost as soon as I see it.

" I know that he is the child of poor couple Cindy and Joseph Wilde, who weren't able to keep him off the streets.
They passed away before Jack's 15th birthday, causing him to pick pocket to get by. He never went to college and does not seem keen to in the near future."

Oh thank God. This would be embarrassing if he knew the truth already. But no, like the rest, he believes everything the Eye has carefully fed him.

Already I've been silent for too long, he thinks he's right and I can see the growing arrogance on his face.

"You didn't think I'd know did you? As always you'd like to believe I'm wrong when in fact I'm right most of the time." he boasts.

"No Danny, I've stayed silent for so long because I'm trying not to laugh in the face of your ignorance. Have you got this information from the Eye or from Jack himself?"

" The Eye of course. None of us have ever talked about our backgrounds." He says, the first vestiges of doubt creeping in.

"Exactly. This is the beauty of the Eye. Such sophisticated deception. You think you know everything about each other already and never think to ask each other to confirm whether any of the information is actually true."

"Why don't you tell me what you know about Jack, since you seem to know." He says flippantly, but I can sense the betrayal and even stronger, the curiosity.

"Jack Wilder is fake. He doesn't exist.
The Jack we know is actually Archibald Charles Benson, the heir to the Benson and Simms fortune. His parents affectionately called him Ace, and his grandfather Gerald Benson taught him all he knows about cards. He graduated early and went to Yale for a semester before dropping completely off the map.
His parents don't seem too concerned though, so I suspect that's who the long phone calls every Saturday morning without fail, are to. You'll notice every time the Eye tells us to catch someone, in court we are always represented by barristers from Benson and Simms' , if not Mr Benson himself."

His face has gone slack.
Ah Danny, this is just the beginning .

A u t h o r 's  n o t e :

Phew
Henley can be quite hard when she wants to. Poor Danny. Anyway, hope you guys liked this and haven't given up on this fanfic. Hang in there and hopefully we can make this great .

Also it you didn't hear the song at the start, you should probably do that now. I like it, hopefully you will too.

Lots of love
Di Phi Va