The Star || NYSM || [1]

Chapter One.

On a warm spring day in Central Park, a crowd had gathered round a young woman who was standing on a wooden bench; a large smile on her face.

"Thank you everyone. Now for my last trick I need a volunteer" The girl stated to the audience causing everyone to burst into noise as she studied the crowd. "You mam' with the pink jumper" The girl singled out a woman with long blonde hair and a light pink knitted jumper. "Now I'll need you to pick a card" The girl said as she fanned out the cards in her hands. The blonde women smiled at the young magician as she slid a card from the deck and studied it for a few seconds; showing a few people around her before placing it back in the deck. The magician smiled as she shuffled the cards.

"Now do you remember your card?" The girl asked which the women nodded a reply; the crowd had become dead silent as they studied the magician trying to figure out what she would do next. "Good" the girl replied as she suddenly threw the cards into the air; the crowd watching them fan out into the air, gracefully falling to the ground. Though before they all came into contact, they magician plucked a card from the air with a smirk. The crowd watched her intently as she turned the card around to show her volunteer.

"Was this your card?" The magician questioned, though the blonde women looked sceptical at the girl as she shook her head causing the girl to give her a look of confusion as she stared back at the card herself. The crowd around her looked at the magician with a sudden lack of joy as she had failed her trick.

"Hmm... that's strange. It should have worked." The magician said with surprise, though a smile quickly broke out on her face as she looked up at the blonde women "Oh I know why; it's because it's in your breast pocket" The young magician said matter-of-factly, causing the blonde volunteer to look at her confused before reaching up into her pocket and pulling a card from it.

"No way" The blonde women exclaimed causing the young magicians smile to widen as the crowd around burst into a round of applause and cheers. "How did you do that?" The women asked making the young magician chuckle.

"I'm afraid I can't tell you that" The girl said with her chuckle before standing up onto the bench once again and looking over the audience "Thank you to everyone watching; My name is Natalia Romav and I hope to see you around someday soon; Look out for the Magic" The girl chuckled as the crowd clapped once again before they slowly dispersed.

Natalia smiled as she watched people walk around Central Park with a smile on their face; it brought her joy to give joy to others, especially in the harsh world they were currently living in. The black and white-haired girl sighed as she collected together the money she was able to make that day in her signature fedora; slowly counting it up once she'd collected together her possessions and slung her bag over her shoulder.

"One hundred and forty-three. One hundred and forty-four. Once hundred and forty-five. One hundred and forty-five dollars and 50 cents exactly." Natalia smiled as she pulled out her wallet form her bag and slotted the money into it. The magician let a sigh pass her lips as she neared the exit of the park. Though before she could reach it, she collided shoulders with a man in a grey-blue hoodie. Just as she turned to apologize the man had disappeared from her view.

"Strange" the girl muttered before shrugging her shoulders and walking from the park and towards her apartment; still re-living the happy and enlightened faces of those she had managed to impress with her tricks and illusions.

-----

Natalia took a deep breath as she pushed open the door to her apartment; kicking it shut once again while she played around with cards in her hands. The girl chuckled to herself before chuckling her bag next to her couch and pulling the shoes from her feet.

A happy sigh made its way from her lips once she'd sat down onto her couch; a hot chocolate in her hands as she turned on her small tv and relaxed back into the soft cushions. Though it wasn't long until she noticed something sticking out from her bag out of the corner of her eye. She slowly placed her cup down onto the coffee table before reaching over and pulling the object from her bag.

It was a tarot card. Natalia stared down at it with confusion as she had no idea how it ended up in her bag; she owned no tarot cards. The magician sighed as she analysed the card and its contents; a woman pouring two jugs of water into a stream stared back at her, though what caught her eye out of the image was the large star set over her right shoulder. Natalia continued to study the card, her eyes locking onto two words that were largely written on the bottom of the card; The Star. She knew what this card meant; renewal, hope, inner clarity and miracles.

Questioned ran through the girls head which only increased as she turned the card over to see a large well drawn picture of an eye in the middle of the card with a date, time and location written below it.

March 29 

4:44 PM 45 East Evan ST NY, NY

Natalia took a deep breath as she tried to figure out whether this was a trick or not and though at first, she thought it was; the more she analysed it, the more she studied the card, the more she started to doubt her first intuition and think that maybe this was real and something big was going to happen on the 29th. She just didn't know how right she was.