Silence is Deafening || J.V.

CHAPTER #23 | i love y...

This was it. We were here. We kidnapped the real magician and Jerome came in as the replacement and I was his assistant.

Now we just had to wait.

"You ready gorgeous?" He asked me again.

"Yeah." I answer. "A little nervous, though."

Jerome waves it off. "Ah, it's just stage fright. We're gonna blow them away."

I giggle at him. And yes, I was a little nervous to be on stage, but that's not what I was talking about.

I've been thinking to myself about what exactly Jerome was to me. Friend didn't seem like the right word and my brain could only land on one thing.

"J?"

"Yeah, princess?" He said. I looked at him and my mind went blank. What the hell am I doing? "I have something to, uh, to tell you."

"What is it?" He asked.

"I-I," I stuttered. I shook my head a laughed nervously. "Never mind."

"Oh, you're not getting off that easy, what is it?" Jerome pried at me.

"I'll, uh, I'll tell you after the show." I said. He furrowed his eyebrows at me, then shrugged.

"Without further ado, please allow me to present to you, The Great Rudolpho!" Lee Thompkins said. I smiled at Jerome. "That's our cue."

I walked on stage and made my way to big blue and yellow box. I put on my fake smile and opened the box. I fight the urge to roll my eyes when I see people already confused. I look in the box and gasped. I closed it, waited a moment then opened it again, revealing Jerome.

The crowd clapped at the trick. "Greetings Ladies and Germs, I am indeed, the Great Rudolpho!" Jerome announced and we both took a bow. I choked back a laugh at his ridiculously fake accent.

"Please ogle my lovely assistant." He said, gesturing to me. I dramatically put a hand over my chest, then blew a kiss into the crowd.

Jerome takes out a red handkerchief out of his pocket and holds it, then he moves the top part and a rose appears. The crowd claps and he hands it to me. I smell it, then toss it to the crowd. He does the trick again, but this time and dove flies out.

"For my first trick, I'll require a volunteer." He calls out to the crowd. He turns sideways and points at random people. "Let me see. Duck, duck, duck, duck, duck, duck, duck, goose." Jerome smirks and looks over to where he pointed. Bruce Wayne.

I got off the stage and walked over to him, I put out my hand.

"Don't keep the lady waiting." The butler says. Bruce reluctantly takes my hand. "Fine." He mumbled. The crowd claps.

I helped Bruce into long box that laid vertically on the table. "Hello young man." Jerome gestured for him to get in. When he does, me and Jerome close the lid. We look at each other and hold up the two wooden slabs to put at Bruce's neck and feet, so he can't get out.

Then Jerome holds up the metal sheets. "Does this handsome gentlemen have a name?"

"Bruce." He answers.

"Bruce! Well, Bruce, this won't hurt a bit." He smiles and slams the two sheets together, making the crowd jump. "Is there a doctor in the house?"

Jerome puts the metal sheets in place, and I hear the butler start telling us to stop. I smirk as Jerome slides them in. I pull the second part away to show off the trick to the crowd. They all clap.

"Give 'em a wave." Jerome tells Bruce.

We put Bruce 'back together' and I take his hand again and return him to his butler, then blow a kiss. I went to the stair case of the stage, but didn't go up there. I waited for Jerome to call the next 'volunteer'.