The Society (COMPLETE)

Chapter 1: The Visitor

A slight gasp of shock took her breath away, prompting her to involuntarily jump back a few inches into the arms of her partner with a startled stare and a hand to her mouth.

Before her was a boy, no more than seventeen years old, holding his hand out to her and wearing a triumphant smile. He had jet black, close cropped hair and long black eyelashes overshadowing a pair of dark brown, wide eyes. His skin was also a dark brown complexion reminiscent of the tone of the native Indians and his sharp facial features and athletic build said he might have been a model instead of a cheap, corner side magician. In his outstretched right hand he held a pair of blue bangle earrings and in his left hand he held an identical pair, dangling by the hook of his finger.

With another breath the woman released the surprise, and the shoulders on her bright blue shirt became relaxed. She let her slender fingers run down her legs in an effort to still them, "You caught me by surprise there, didn't think you could actually do it."

Behind her a taller man dressed in a brown shirt and cargo pants scratched his messy blond hair with a puzzled stare. His face was stern and rugged, making him appear much older than he really was and the unshaved scruff that poked from the sideburns on his face made him look even more primitive. His beady dark brown eyes squinted at the teen. He seemed more confused than his companion was.

"But that's not possible, you've never seen that watch before. That means you couldn't have had a spare up your sleeve like the other street performers," he said and tilted his head in a bewildered manner, "How exactly did you do that?"

The boy laughed, "That's because the other magicians know nothing of real magic. Simple."

"I mean, you really are a magician then," the woman said.

He held the watch out to her, the 'new' one. The woman then stretched out her hand to take the watch, her fingers yearning for the shiny object. But then the man's hand clamped down on her wrist, her outstretched fingers instinctively closing. She looked up at him, brows furrowed. "What's wrong?"

Instead of answering, with his free hand he dug into his pocket and it resurfaced with a bundle of paper bills crumpled up in a ball. Simultaneously as he pulled her still clenched hand back he outstretched his to drop the bills in an upturned hat on the ground.

"Yea it's magic alright," he began as the woman bent a little to retrieve her real pair of earrings from his other hand, in her eyes he could see her obvious embarrassment and apology. "Black magic," he finished as the woman clipped the earrings on each ear. They had matched her blue shirt- and her blue eyes.

With that they both turned and disappeared into the passing pedestrians. Her blond hair obeying the wind as she hurried to keep up with the man. Not even a good-bye. Disappointed he hung his head to look into the hat, in all that would make twenty dollars since the morning had started, it was almost midday now.

"It is not black magic. It's real magic, there's a difference..." he muttered to himself, half annoyed and half matter-of-factly.

He bent down to retrieve the crumpled bills in the hat.

"Is it now?"

The voice made him jump, it came out of nowhere. He looked up to see two people, a girl and a guy, one brunette and the other blond. He blinked at the two of them.

"What is?" he asked.

"Black magic and real magic," the girl answered, she was beautiful. "Is there really a difference?"

"Well yea, of course there is. Black magic kills people and real magic....scares them?"

At that the guy chuckled.