Present Day

  “I don’t understand why you’re so keen on this show, Ma,” Pinn said, shuffling forward in the dim, crowded hall.

  “Oh, come off it,” Serena said, tapping the side of her glasses. “You wouldn’t be doing anything else. If you’re not gonna join up with HUE, you might as well join us.”

  “I’m not opposed to spending time with you, Ma. A magic show just feels…”

  “Beneath us,” Rockwell concluded the sentence, scratching his white beard.

  “Right.”

  “Maybe if you still used any of your powers then I wouldn’t have to go looking for magic,” Serena said, both quietly and in an accusatory tone.

  “You know I can’t, Ma,” Pinn mumbled, ashamed.

  “You can, you just refuse to. Right, Rocky?”

  Rockwell said nothing.

  “See, even your father thinks so!”

  Pinn kept his mouth shut, not willing to jump into that argument again. Scoffing, Serena led the way to their seats. Pinn and Rockwell exchanged an equally stoic glance. One that meant they would both rather be literally watching grass grow than watch a stage magician. Or, their favorite activity, watching TV together. But they said nothing, following Serena inside.

  Once Serena arrived at their row on the left end of the room, she stood aside and let Rockwell in first. His impressive frame made it hard to see over and around him, so she insisted on placing him as close to the wall as she could. Pinn sat at the end of the short row and took a look around.

  The theater could hold around two hundred occupants and was packed with fans chatting excitedly about the upcoming show. There was apparently some significance to this show, but Pinn had forgotten the details the moment Serena explained them on the drive over. The buzzing chatter made Pinn feel somewhat bad for not having tried to engage with his mother on the subject. Felt like he might have ruined the experience for her to not be as enthused as the fans in the room.

  Looking over, he saw she was leaning forward in her chair, brushing her short, graying hair away from her eyes. He couldn’t imagine why she was so excited for a regular magician when she gave birth to the first Awakened man in existence, but there were things about his parents’ personalities that he long resolved he would never understand.

  “Ladies and gentlemen…” a voice came over the speakers, grand and full of showmanship. “Get ready for Magnus the Magnificent’s final show!”

  The crowd exploded, Pinn’s mother included. Pinn raised an eyebrow in surprise. Final show? The tickets were expensive in that case. Maybe this event was more important to his mother than she was letting on.

  The curtains pulled up from the stage drifting gently to reveal a younger man wearing a cape and tophat with his arms wide and grin wider. He had a smooth face and a smile that stole the room’s attention, but Pinn was drawn to the oddities in his outfit. Magnus had an orange jumpsuit and rubber boots on, looking as though he was a parody of a magician. Strolling across the stage, he rolled his sleeves and waved his arms up to get a louder response from the crowd, to which they quickly obliged. Serena cheered, and Pinn clapped politely. Rockwell sat quietly, his eyes tracking Magnus, expressionless.

  “Hello everyone, thank you all for being here! I have a very magical show for you all!” Magnus said, throwing his palms up grandly. Bird feathers burst from his arms, sounding as though exploding from a confetti popper. The crowd laughed at the display and Pinn watched with curiosity. His sleeves were still rolled up and he couldn’t tell where the feathers came from. There was a chance Magnus was actually an impressive magician.

  “As you know,” Magnus said, his voice quieting the eager crowd. “This will be my last show.”

  A couple fans called out from the seats in the front row, begging him to stay longer. Placing his arms on his heart, he smiled at them graciously, his body literally glowing faintly as if physically absorbing their praise. Pinn squinted, leaning forward with interest. There was definitely something special to the act, Pinn had never seen anything like it.

  “I know, we share the idea that it is a tragedy that I must part with the stage, but it is for the greater good! The Hero Unification Entity has seen the extent of my magic and recruited me! I will be out there saving the good people!” Magnus said with a wave of his hand to the world, immediately showered in thunderous applause.

  Pinn slouched back into his seat, sighing and placing a hand over his face. It was clear now why they had come to this show. Peeking from under his hand, Pinn took a glance at his mother and saw her staring at him with a knowing gaze. It always came back to HUE. Not even HUE, necessarily, just being back out on the streets. Patrolling. Being part of the Awakened society, trying to help.

  And not losing his sanity in the meantime.

  Pinn resigned himself to having to receive more poignant stares from his mother for the rest of the show. He knew it was suspicious that she would bring up the magician out of nowhere, he should have known there was a connection to HUE somewhere in there.

  “Now, without further ado, for my first trick…” Magnus pulled a small bouquet of flowers from behind his back and held them out, staring at them in fascination. Then, with a whip of his wrist, the flowers blurred into a candy apple on a stick. The crowd applauded, and he threw out the apple to the seats ahead of him. Someone grabbed it and began eating from it, earning more praise for the proof it was real.

  Pinn suddenly wondered what the appeal of the show was if Magnus was Awakened. It looked like he was performing real acts of magic. There was no sleight of hand involved. No skill that had to be honed over time. But perhaps that was the draw, alone. Awakened individuals were common enough that they didn’t reach headline news every time a new one was discovered, but no one had organized themselves enough to put their powers into a flashy show. Perhaps Magnus was the first celebrity of the new age.

  “Now you see it…” Magnus held a baseball in an open hand. “Now you…”

  Holding out his hand for all to see, the baseball grew multiple times in size until it was the size of a beach ball. The crowd applauded the scene, but Pinn scrunched his eyebrows slightly. Clearly, Magnus had been setting up a “now you see it, now you don’t” line, but the ball hadn’t disappeared. Even Magnus looked slightly surprised by the growth, but he kept a smile on his face. Spinning in place, Magnus threw out the ball, and the audience began bouncing it around the seats excitedly.

  “Here’s a fan favorite!” Magnus said, holding out a handful of cash. With a snap of his fingers, the bills hopped up like pieces of cooking popcorn. When they landed in his hand, the stack multiplied into twice the amount of money. He snapped again, and the wad of cash gained more value. He continued until the wad grew thick enough to be the cash prize of a game show.

  “Now, who should get this?” Magnus asked, waving a fan of thousands of dollars under his nose with an enticing grin. The room exploded with raised arms, save for Pinn and his family, who watched quietly. Stacking the money in the palm of his hand, Magnus looked out to his audience. Pacing with energetic strides across stage, he basked in the adoration before distributing the funds.

  Leaning forward, he breathed out on the money and it flowed out to the audience. They cheered and reached up for it. As the bills drifted the money grew smaller. Before one hand could grab a bill, all the money shrunk until it vanished from the human eye. The fans seemed disappointed, but largely okay with the display. Somehow, the magic was more impressive than their greed.

  Pinn’s growing hypothesis had become certain at the wince he saw from Magnus when the money went subatomic. The magician didn’t know what effect his attempted magic trick would elicit. It seemed he knew how to activate the power, but wasn’t sure of the result until after it was complete. It was like he only knew the idea of what magic trick he wanted to perform, and let his Awakening handle the rest.

  Settling into his theory, Pinn frowned. If what he assumed was true, this man was a danger to everyone in the room.

  “How about a volunteer?” Magnus asked, grinning.

  Heart pumping, Pinn was the first to launch his arm up, and he caught the attention of Magnus. Magnus tilted his head one way, assessing Pinn, then Serena pulled at Pinn’s arm.

  “Don’t be rude,” she muttered. “Let someone who’s not Awakened have some fun.”

  “But Ma, he could hurt someone,” Pinn said. “I don’t think he has control of his power.”

  “I’ve seen it. It’s part of the act. You’ll ruin his show when you go up there all hostile. If you wanna do good, then join HUE,” Serena snapped quietly.

  Pinn allowed his hand to be lowered, frowning.

  Magnus scanned the crowd and nodded to someone a few rows behind Pinn. A teenage boy ran up with his arms raised high and his face awash with glee. People clapped him on the back and applauded him as he approached the stage. The cult of personality surrounding Magnus was infectious, spreading through the entire crowd and making them explode over his every move. For a moment, Pinn wondered if Magnus had multiple powers, including one that could manipulate others into enjoying his every action. Taking a glance at his father, he checked Rockwell for signs of amusement.

  His father’s face sat flat, his eyes askance. The epitome of boredom combined with annoyance. Pinn focused back to the stage, sufficiently convinced that Magnus wasn’t affecting people emotionally. But they were drunk on the mob mentality.

  “What’s your name, young man?” Magnus asked, applauding his new stage member.

  “I’m Trevor!” The young man shook Magnus’s hand vigorously.

  “And have we ever met before?” Magnus asked, pointing between them extravagantly.

  “Oh, yes!” Trevor said, to Magnus’s surprise. “I come to your shows all the time! I got to meet you backstage one time!”

  “Ah, fantastic. A true fan. Then I’m sure you know what comes next?” Magnus asked.

  “Card trick?” Trevor asked hopefully, jumping in place.

  Magnus snapped his fingers and a deck of cards appeared in the space between them. Fumbling, he caught it before it hit the floor and Trevor grinned wildly.

  “Pick a card and…”

  Trevor snatched a card excitedly and held it close to his chest, barely bending it to check its value. Then he held it flat against his body. Pinn rested his head against his hand, leaning to one side. He wasn’t the slightest bit worried about a card trick.

  “Now, show it to the audience. Don’t worry, I won’t peek!” Magnus looked away and Trevor quickly flashed the card to the theater. A Two of Clubs. Giddily, he held it back to his body.

  Spinning in place and waving his cape, Magnus turned back to Trevor. Trevor was holding the card flat on his palm, presenting it to Magnus like a prize, but instead of taking it, Magnus smiled gently.

  “You hold on to that. I’ll see if I can figure it out myself,” Magnus said wryly.

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  The crowd mumbled in adoration of the performance. Magnus held a hand to his head and the other held up the deck of cards, as though trying to mentally extract the missing information.

  “Was this your card?” Magnus held up a Four of Diamonds from the top of the deck.

  Trevor smiled, confused, and looked back down at the card he held.

  “No? I still have mine.”

  “Ah, of course.” Magnus inserted the card back into the deck and returned to his look of deep thought.

  “What about this card?” Magnus asked, revealing a Jack of Hearts.

  “No!” Trevor said, pointing to the card still in his hand.

  “Oh, of course!” Magnus said. “It’s still on your person! Let’s get it out of there!”

  With an impressively powerful sound, Magnus clapped once right in front of Trevor’s face. Molting from excitement to a mix of horror and confusion, Trevor’s face drew back. Pinn immediately sat up. Something had gone wrong; he could feel it in his gut. But Magnus’s smile held strong.

  Trevor’s body became a fountain of cards, shooting upward and flying across the theater. Every single card was a Two of Clubs. They flowed out and dropped to each patron like a leaflet dropping from a plane. Cheers exploded and people clambered over one another to grab a card. One fell in Pinn’s lap and he held it up gingerly with two fingers. It felt like a normal card. But when he looked back up to the stage, Trevor was gone, replaced entirely by a mountain of cards. Pinn grit his teeth.

  “And give it up for our lovely volunteer!” Magnus said, pointing to a seat.

  Trevor sat in the audience once more, applauding and laughing. Clutching at his chest, he caught his breath from the excitement. Pinn stared at him, a frown sewn onto his face.

  “Quick craning your neck, Pinny.” Serena pulled at his shoulder.

  “Ma, I think something went wrong.”

  “At least pretend you’re enjoying the show, for my sake.”

  “I’m serious.”

  Serena’s face set coldly, the amusement gone from her eyes.

  “What happened?”

  “I don’t know yet.” Pinn bit his lip. “I need to check on the kid.”

  Serena joined him in looking at the young man. Rockwell stared too, though Pinn assumed he would take any excuse to stop watching the magic show.

  Trevor seemed perfectly normal, continuing to cheer for the show. He glanced at the three family members staring at him and looked creeped out, his smile retreating slightly. The three of them turned back toward the stage.

  “Are you sure?” Serena whispered. “He looks fine.”

  “There’s something wrong with that boy,” Rockwell said.

  “What did you see?”

  “He’s enjoying himself too much.”

  “Rocky!” She slapped him delicately on the shoulder.

  “He’s too excited to see any issues right now. We gotta wait for the adrenaline to die down. Either he’s part of the show, or something’s wrong with that boy. He wasn’t fazed enough by the transport,” Rockwell clarified, adjusting his glasses.

  “Maybe he’s just excited to be part of the show,” Serena replied.

  Rockwell said nothing. Gripping his chair’s arms, Pinn resisted looking back at Trevor. His father was right. Something was off, but he couldn’t put his finger on it.

  Magnus continued his show, shooting fire up and putting on an explosive finale. Pinn could hardly pay attention, forming an excuse to talk with Trevor as soon as he could. Scenarios sprouted and withered in seconds.

  Maybe he could walk by him while pretending to head to the bathroom. No, that wouldn’t be enough. It needed to be something more, like an adoring Magnus fan that wanted to know about the experience.

  Pinn’s lips went tight; he could never pull that off.

  “Thank you everyone, and good night!” Magnus bowed, a ball of flame enveloping him and warping him off stage. The curtains came down gradually, closing out the show.

  Pinn shot up, but was surrounded by others on their feet giving the disappeared Magnus a standing ovation. Serena pulled his shoulder down to reach up and speak in his ear.

  “What’s the plan, Pinny? What do you need?”

  Pinn chanced a glance at Trevor who had gone somewhat pale, standing and shouting his approval of the show. Exhaling slowly to calm himself, Pinn looked to his father for advice.

  “Talk to him,” Rockwell said over the applause.

  “What do I say?”

  “Make it about the magician.”

  Pinn nodded and made his way to Trevor, gently pushing aside members of the audience to get to Trevor’s row. Forcing an encouraging smile on his face, he waved to Trevor, beckoning him over. Trevor looked to Pinn, back to the stage, then back to Pinn. Scooting past members of the audience, Trevor approached him cautiously.

  “Who are you?” Trevor asked immediately.

  Pinn paused, absorbing the question with a sense of relief. It was good not to be known.

  “You did a great job with the show. Do you want to go backstage and meet Magnus?” Pinn asked.

  Trevor’s face lit up, eyes widening.

  “Really? You work with Magnus?”

  Pinn smiled and placed a finger to his lips, grateful for the convenient excuse laid out for him. Trevor nodded eagerly, placing a slightly trembling hand on his chest and gripping his shirt. Pinn put a light touch on Trevor’s shoulder and began guiding him to the stage. Shivering, Pinn struggled to keep any panic from setting on his face.

  Trevor was in a terrible state, close to death.

  Applauding madly, the audience continued to praise Magnus’s last show. Passing Pinn’s parents, Serena nodded with approval while Rockwell watched silently.

  Pinn led Trevor up and behind the curtains, looking as self-important as he could, the confidence he exuded holding back any questions from the crowd. Once behind the curtain, the noise drowned out significantly, and Pinn could hear Trevor panting.

  “Hey, mister. I don’t feel great,” he admitted, gripping his chest.

  “I know, Trevor. Let’s get you to Magnus and get you better.”

  “He can make me feel better? Is there anything he can’t do?” Trevor asked, amazed.

  Pinn said nothing, increasing the pace backstage and locating a room with a star on it. He didn’t bother knocking, pulling at the door. It stuck, locked.

  “Huh? Who’s there?” Magnus asked from the other end.

  “It’s me,” Pinn said, coolheaded.

  “Who?”

  “Does he not know you?” Trevor pulled away from Pinn.

  Pinn set his jaw and gripped the door handle tight. The wood peeled around his hand and the color darkened, like it was decaying dozens of years in a single second. Pinn sighed, his gut tight over the familiar experience of his power not working as he had hoped.

  Both Magnus and Trevor gasped.

  “You’re Awakened!” Trevor said, his voice hoarse and his breathing unsteady.

  Pushing forward, Pinn made a massive hole in the rotten door. Fumbling around from the inside, he tried to unlock the handle, then grunted in annoyance and tore the whole door off its hinges, looking at Magnus angrily.

  “Who are you?” Magnus asked, holding out a shaking arm defensively.

  Pinn tossed the door aside and held his hands up non-threateningly.

  “Trevor has two playing cards stuck in his chest. It’s messing with blood flow in his heart.” Pinn pulled Trevor into view. “Get it out before it kills him.”

  “Huh?” Trevor squeaked.

  Magnus paled immediately, looking between Trevor and Pinn. Gripping his chest, Trevor was breathing more rapidly.

  “Is he serious?” Trevor asked Magnus. “Can you do that? Why would you do that?”

  “I didn’t mean to! I mean, I didn’t do that! How do we know it’s even true?”

  “We’re wasting time. Use your magic to get it out of him. They’re here and here.” Pinn pointed to two points at Trevor’s chest.

  “Hey, I really don’t feel good,” Trevor said, gripping the shirt over his chest. “Should we call an ambulance?”

  “Magnus, get them out,” Pinn ordered more severely.

  “I don’t know how!” Magnus said.

  Trevor’s eyes rolled to the back of his head and he collapsed, caught by Pinn just before he hit the ground. Whipping his head up to Magnus, he sat Trevor gently on the ground.

  “Your power. What does it take to get the cards out? How does it work?”

  “Ah, so that’s what this is,” Magnus said, his voice quivering as a hesitant smile approached his lips like a worm dancing in rain. “You’re trying to get my secrets before I join HUE. Who sent you? EUE? Are you a journalist?”

  Pinn closed his eyes, exhaling loudly, but smoothly. The unfortunate truth was his theory was correct. Magnus couldn’t control his power, otherwise he would have at least checked the cards on his own. When he reopened his eyes, Magnus looked tense and terrified, like he would have to get ready for a battle. Placing a hand lightly onto Trevor’s chest, Pinn steeled himself.

  “Try and make sure nothing goes wrong,” he told Magnus, his eyes focused on Trevor whose breathing was shallow.

  “What do you mean?” Magnus asked quietly.

  Angelic blue light shone from Pinn’s hand and he breathed evenly as Magnus took a slight step back. Gradually, Pinn inserted his hand into Trevor’s chest, phasing through like there was nothing in his way. Magnus held his breath and leaned forward, concern on his face. Light flickered around them and a bulb popped in Magnus’s dressing room. Magnus stared at him with wide eyes.

  “Just how many powers do you have?” Magnus whispered.

  Pinn tutted his tongue quietly as Trevor’s shirt began to unravel, dancing around his eyes. With enough concentration to turn his face red, Pinn finally reached the heart. Focusing hard, he stressed his power to its limit, allowing his fingers to come into contact with a card long enough to grab hold of it without also blocking blood flow. Once he had a hold of the card, he turned it ethereal with the rest of his hand and began to pull it out without disturbing the chest cavity.

  Magnus let out a breath as Pinn’s arm emerged with a bloody Two of Clubs. Tossing it to the side, as soon as it left Pinn’s hand, it became tangible once more. Panting, Pinn took a moment to catch his breath, the angelic light fading from his hand and spots entering his vision. Another bulb exploded in Magnus’s room.

  Shocked by the broken light, Magnus leaned over and poked the bloody card on the floor, testing its reality. Then he looked up and watched Pinn pant.

  “Here.” Magnus produced a glass of water from behind Pinn’s ear.

  Pinn frowned at him using his unstable power at such a time, then realized the irony of his thought and took the water gratefully. Downing it in two gulps, he wiped sweat from his forehead and turned back to Trevor. The young man’s chest was pumping rapidly, but shallow, like a quiet drummer beating from within.

  Reanimating his hand in the ethereal glow, Pinn passed his arm back through the chest. Magnus leaned close to watch. Yelping, he leaned back and covered his face, a light line of blood on his cheek. Cut by a tiny, invisible blade.

  “What was that for?” Magnus asked, sounding hurt.

  Pinn said nothing, his face strained in concentration as he got a hold of the second card. Frowning, he slid his arm up the body’s internals carefully. More of Trevor’s shirt unraveled, his torso bare and the threads dancing with chaotic energy. When the card finally slipped through Trevor’s skin, Pinn leaned forward, placing a corporeal hand on the young man.

  Trevor’s internal systems lit up in Pinn’s eyes, showing nerves, muscles, blood flow, and brain activity all at once. The heart jolted erratically, struggling to maintain a consistent rhythm. Shaking his head in quiet anguish, Pinn placed his hand over his eyes in dismay.

  “Lacerations on his heart,” he said, his voice low. “I might have cut him on the way out with the second card. He’s not… I don’t think…”

  Magnus kneeled down, looking over Pinn and Trevor.

  “The boy’s going to die because of me?” Magnus asked, his voice solemn.

  As much as he thought it was the magician’s fault, Pinn said nothing. If he had better control over his own powers, he could have saved the boy. In his prime, Lightcrown might have been able to manage. Maybe.

  Frustrated, Pinn crushed the bloody card in his hand, and it turned to ash.

  Magnus held two hands in front of him, closing his eyes and focusing. Pinn watched closely. It looked like he was preparing another trick, and Pinn hoped that the magician couldn’t make things any worse.

  “Alakazoo!” Magnus shrieked in a high-pitched voice.

  Then he leaned forward and rammed his palms in the boy’s chest like his hands were a crash cart.

  Pinn stared, not seeing any change in Trevor, better or worse. Confused, he placed a hand on the young man to see his inner workings and assess his condition. Blinking in shock, Pinn could feel his body mend. The heart’s wound closed, and the blood flowed through, unperturbed. Trevor’s breathing came easier, and the color returned to his face.

  “How did you do that? I thought you couldn’t control the power,” Pinn said, looking at Magnus with newfound respect.

  “I’ll tell you all about my power if you tell me about yours. Just how many do you have?” Magnus asked.

  “Nevermind,” Pinn said quickly, wiping the blood from his hands.

  “Oh, come on! Are you in HUE? You should be! I could put in a good word for you. I can talk to Apex directly!” Magnus assured him.

  “Forget it.”

  “At least tell me your name!”

  Pinn stood to leave.

  “Fine, but I’ll get your name somehow,” Magnus said, grinning.

  Pinn froze. Turning in place he glanced around the hallways. With loud pops, the security cameras in the hall exploded as Pinn looked at them. Then, glowering, he turned to Magnus, who shriveled in place.

  “I’m… I’m sorry! I was kidding!” Magnus held up his hands.

  “Forget about me. About all of this stuff involving me, okay?” Pinn said sharply. Wood under his foot groaned, then cracked.

  Magnus trembled, then nodded rapidly.

  “Okay, you got it,” Magnus said, voice quivering.

  Pinn spun in place and began walking away. Before he was out of earshot, he heard Trevor stir awake.

  “Who was that?” Trevor asked.

  “I have no idea,” Magnus said earnestly.

  Pinn smirked, turning the corner and leaving to find his parents.