Fey looks at her reflection in the mirror. Her new magician costume has finally come in and fits her like a glove. After years of wishing she could be a woman, her wishes were coming true.

She has been taking illegal hormones for years to change her body. Ever since she realized she wasn’t like her siblings or cousins when she was younger. She didn’t have the same interest in your typical male things.

Where her brothers were into football and other types of sports, she was interested in ballet and gymnastics. She even tried out for the cheerleading squad at her school and was accepted, but she hated the stupid uniform the males had to wear. She wanted to wear the uniform the female cheerleaders wore.

She managed to get her hands on two of them. She wore them to a Halloween party in another district. She got so many compliments that no one knew she was a male. All the males at the party thought she was a full-fledged woman.

She delayed her secondary sexual bodily development. She didn’t mean to do it, but it happened. She was out riding her bicycle and a car stopped in front of her suddenly. She hit the back of the car and slammed into her handlebars. When that happened, she burst her scrotum open and had one of her testicles removed. She also found a way to get her hands on some prescription estrogen pills and patches.

She started hanging out with a gay guy from school. No one knew that would cement how she felt. She would go to the clubs and dress up as different female characters. She once went to a comic con dressed as a Lolita Maid and won.

Keeping things quiet from her parents and siblings was hard. Mainly because she came from a big family and shared a bedroom with one of her older brothers. She knew he had his hiding spots in the house.

She was so happy when it was time to go to college. She chose one that was as far as possible from her home state. That’s where she met others like herself.

“Are you going to stand there in front of your mirror all day admiring yourself?” Jessica looks at her roommate.

Fey turns around to look at her busty roommate. Jessica has been a big help in teaching her how to act like a young lady and finding herself. She introduced her to things she had only read about.

“I can’t help it. This new costume really shows off my body.” Fey twirls around to make sure everything stays where it is supposed to.

“That much I agree with you on, but don’t you have a show to practice for?” Jessica looks at her roommate.

“Yeah, if I can draw a big crowd with this weekend's performance. Henry will book me for several more performances.” Fey was hoping this weekend’s performance would draw a big crowd.

“Well, you won’t get anywhere standing in front of your mirror. Wasn’t your resolution for the new year to become well-known and find a girlfriend or something?” Jessica knew Fey had been feeling lonely lately.

“Thanks for reminding me.” Fey starts taking her new outfit off.

“Sorry for ruining your day, sweetheart. I know how hard it has been since Robert dumped you for that brunette down at the bank.” Jessica knew Fey had it bad for Robert.

Robert had been Fey’s first boyfriend since starting college. They meet in her second week after arriving at the college. She had met him at a mutual friend’s party.

She had been honest and upfront about what she was. She didn’t hide anything from him. Jessica watches as Fey grabs her gym bag and sunglasses.

“Come on, I’ll give you a lift to the theater so you can practice your routine.” Jessica grabs her car keys.

“Thanks.” Fey follows Jessica out to her car.

Fey hears the car beep as Jessica uses the remote to unlock the car doors. She gets in on the passenger side while Jessica is on the driver's side.

“Seat belts.” Jessica looks at Fey to remind her.

“Yes, mother.” A teasing look appears on Fey’s face.

“That reminds me, your mother called earlier while you were in the shower. She said that your brother Jeff is getting married in September. She wants you to speak to him so you can attend the wedding.” Jessica knew Fey’s family disapproved of her transitioning.

She came out to her folks after being at college for a month. She did a video conference with them when she informed them. Her father got up and walked away from the laptop they were using, and her mother started crying and was in denial.

She received word from financial aid weeks later that her parents were pulling their support. Luckily for Fey, she got a job at the theater and has been performing tricks on the streets. She’s been doing escape tricks for a while. She even knew how to hypnotize people.

Some of her older brothers were embarrassed to be related to Fey. Her parents said she was welcome to come and visit but not dressed as a girl. Some of Fey’s family didn’t care and accepted Fey for who she was.

“Why should I apologize for wanting to be myself? It was his fault for not accepting me and telling his fiancée that I was sick and perverted.” Fey had finally come out to her family about what she was.

“Well, your mother wants all of you to be at the wedding. I can’t entirely agree with the way they are treating you. My parents don’t care, and they like you, for you.” Jessica knew her family was more open-minded and liked Fey a lot.

Hell, her mother thought of Fey as her younger sister. When they went and visited her family for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Her mother gave Fey a beautiful dress and some jewelry to go with it. She gave Fey her favorite perfume and new shoes to go with the dress.

“Well, until my brother apologizes for what he said to me, I’m not attending the wedding.” Fey could be as stubborn as her family.

After about thirty minutes, they finally arrived at the theater, where Fey practiced her routine. The theater manager, Wayne, didn’t mind renting it out to Fey. In exchange for Fey using it, she does a few shows a month for the manager.

“Call me when you're ready to leave. We’ll go to the hair of the dog eatery and grab some lunch.” Jessica loved the comfort food they served.

“Will do.” Fey grabs her gym bag and heads into the theater.

She uses the side entrance. The place was a little chilly as she headed towards the assigned dressing room. Once inside the dressing room, she changes out of her street clothes. She changes into her workout clothes. Her workout clothes were a black sleeveless body suit that supported her medium-sized breasts and a pair of matching slim tennis shoes.

She sets up her tricks since her assistant is in class right now. Usually, she wouldn’t practice alone, but Dave, her assistant, has morning classes. Dave’s boyfriend was an actor and sometimes would come and watch her practice.

She sets up her camcorder to record her practice. That way, she can go back and see where she messed up on a routine or add to it. She couldn’t practice any escape tricks because she needed her assistant to perform them.

She does practice her card tricks and illusions. She loved the one where everyone thought she was levitating, but she wasn’t. After four hours of practicing, she sits in her dressing room and reviews the footage of her practice session.

While she is watching the video, her cell phone starts ringing. She looked at the caller ID and noticed it was Trent calling her. She presses accept “Joe’s meat house, Joe speaking. What can I slaughter for you?”

A playful smile appears on her face. She loves playing pranks on her friends, especially Trent. He was a pothead and got confused easily.

“Ugh, can I speak to Fey Moore?” Trent was confused. He knew he dialed Fey’s number.

Fey giggles before speaking. “What can I do you for, Trent?”

“Can you let me and the guys in, please? I forgot my key to the place.” Trent was always forgetting his keys.

“Does Wayne know you are using the theater to practice?” Fey wasn’t sure if Wayne knew Trent and his band Mystik Spiral were allowed to use the theater.

She knew Trent and his friends named their band after the MTV cartoon from Daria. She likes the Daria cartoon. The character from it was someone she could relate to somewhat.

“He knows as long as we don’t interrupt you or the theater actors.” Trent paid Wayne a monthly rental fee to use the theater to practice.

“Alright, let me grab my robe first.” Fey ends the phone call.

She grabs her robe and puts it on. Since she worked up a sweat, she was feeling chilly. She walks towards the side entrance and opens the door for Trent.

She spots the black van they traveled in. Trent and his band called it the Tank, after the one in the Daria cartoon. She watches as Trent gets out on the passenger side. Smoke comes rolling out.

Fey shakes his head as Trent and the other band members approach her. Trent was dressed in his black leather vest and pants. His head was covered in messy, short black hair like he had just woken up.

“Don’t you ever check your appearance before you leave the house?” Fey couldn’t believe how Trent looked.

A smirk appears on Trent’s face as he stops before Fey. He knew Fey used to be a guy. He met Fey when she started coming to the theater to watch her friend Richie practice his routine for the club.

“Why mess with perfection?” He smiles at her.

“Perfection, my ass. I can’t believe you were up this early. Normally, you and your bandmates keep vampire hours.” Fey watches as Flint, Gus, and Boone approach her and Trent with their instruments and amps.

“We got a gig on Thursday and need to work on some of our new songs. Why don’t you join us? You’re not half bad at playing the guitar.” Trent has heard Fey play before.

“I play for pleasure, not for a living.” Fey steps aside to let Trent and his bandmates into the theater.

“Hey, Fey. Are you done with your practice?” Boone looks over at Fey when he walks past her.

Fey looks at Boone. He stuck out among his bandmates, where Trent and Flint had short black hair. And Gus was bald and had a bunch of facial piercings. Boone had short blonde hair and a muscular build to him. He also used to be a Chip and Dale dancer as well.

All the members of Mystik Spiral were unique. Trent has been playing and singing since he was in high school. He studied classical music at the Manhattan School of Music for a while. That’s where he met Flint. Flint was a die-hard KISS fan but studied classical music as well.

Gus was a self-taught drummer who played in various bands before hooking up with Trent. It was a fluke that they all had come together to play. Each was a weirdo who met one night at a nightclub and started talking. It seemed all of them had more in common than they did with other people.

Gus wore a spiked collar around his neck and nothing to cover his chest. He also wore tight black leather pants as well. He had a vast raven tattoo that covered three-quarters of his back.

“Yeah, I’m done, Boone. Let me put my stuff away, and you can set it up.” Fey locks the door behind them.

“I’ll give you a hand.” Boone smiles at Fey.

He liked how she looked and smelled. He knew she didn’t date musicians. He didn’t know why, but he figured it had to do with some things that went on after they played. It wasn’t unusual for them to party after a gig. God knows he has woken up with two unknown naked women sleeping next to him.

Boone watches as Fey’s body suit rides up her butt crack every time she bends over or kneels. He loved how the suit supported and outlined her pear-shaped breasts. He would love to see her wearing a bikini or wearing nothing.

Fey catches Boone staring at her ass and chest a few times. She liked it when men looked at her, but she also felt self-conscious when they did. Something about how they saw her freaked her out sometimes.

She asked Jessica if she had ever felt like that. Jessica said at first, she had. All because she was the first in her class to start developing breasts. She notices that some male teachers and her male relatives would look at her differently. That wasn’t all, either. She saw that the boys in her classes were watching her more. How she walked and exercised in class. They liked watching her breasts bounce up and down.

Fey smiles at Boone as he finishes helping her put her gear away. She turns and looks at him. “Thank you, Boone. You guys have a nice rehearsal.”

“You’re welcome.” Boone turns and walks off.

Fey walks back into her dressing room and changes. She gives herself a quick sponge bath before getting redress. After she finishes redressing, she texts Jessica to let her know she is ready to pick up. She informs her she’ll meet her outside in the side parking lot.

Fey grabs her gym bag and walks outside through the side door. She walks over to the planter box and sits on its edge while waiting for Jessica to arrive. She starts feeling warmer sitting outside in the sunlight than inside the theater.

She couldn’t believe it was January already. She tried to recall last year but couldn’t believe how fast it had gone by. Just as Fey was about to log onto Facebook, she spotted Jessica’s car approaching her. She stands up, walks to the curb, and waves towards her.

Jessica pulls up sideways to the curb and lowers the driver-side window. “How much for the evening, good-looking?”

“More than you could afford.” A smile appears on Fey’s face as she walks around to the passenger side and gets into the car.

Jessica turns her head towards Fey. “That depends. You have no idea what I can afford.”

“Right, I’m hungry. Let’s go.” Fey shakes her head at Jessica’s antics.

“And away we go.” Jessica puts the car into gear and steps on the accelerator.

Fey relaxes against the back of the car seat. She loved that Jessica’s car had heated seats, especially during winter.

“So, how did practice go?” Jessica glances toward Fey as she sits in the passenger seat.

“It would have gone better if Dave had been there. I wanted to try some of the escape acts.”

“Well, hell. If you needed someone to tie you up or secure you in handcuffs, you could have called me. You know how much I love tying you up.” A cheshire grin appears on Jessica’s face.

“Yeah, I do know how much you enjoy tying me up. You bruised my wrist last time by tying them too tight.” That was the last time Fey let Jessica tie her up.

“I couldn’t make it too easy on you. You’re good at escaping from your constraints.” Jessica entered the parking lot of the restaurant they were heading to.

She finds an unoccupied parking spot on the third row instead of pulling in nose first. She turns the car around so it is ass backward, with the front of the vehicle facing outward. She turned the car off, and they got out and walked toward the restaurant entrance.

When they entered the restaurant, they noticed how busy the place was. Fey spotted a few people she knew from college.

“There’s a few people from my classes here.” Fey memorized all her fellow students just in case she needed something or missed a class.

A young woman escorts them over to a nearby table. A young woman named Stacy handed them some menus and took their drink order. They place their meal order When she returns with their drink order.

While Fey and Jessica wait for their food, Jessica looks at Fey and asks, “How are your finances?”

“They are alright, so far. I have enough money to get me through the until next year. As for my college fund. I knew my folks would cut me off, so I applied for several scholarships and was approved.”

“You got scholarships and didn’t tell me?” Jessica was surprised. She thought she and Fey were close.

“I wasn’t sure if I would get approved or not. One is from the Phoenix Foundation, and the second is from the Blake Foundation.”

“What are the requirements to get approved?” Jessica was curious.

“You must write an essay and submit a copy of your expenses. I wrote down all my expenses and how much money I had coming in and going out. I sent them proof that I was in the process of transitioning.” Fey wanted the money to pay for her college expenses.

“You might be able to get a grant from the Blake Foundation. They give students like us grants to attend college and free medical services at their clinics.” Fey has recently been getting her estrogen pills and puberty blockers from their free clinic.

“What? They give grants for being a lesbian and gay?” Jessica hadn’t heard about that.

“Something like that. They know how hard it is for people like us. So, they are willing to give out grants to help people like us.”

“How can they verify that people aren’t taking advantage of their gift?” Jessica wonders what safeguards they have in place.

“Beats me, but I know they are willing to help people like us.” Fey did some research on them before applying for a grant.

Jessica thinks about what Fey said. She knew a grant would help her and her parents. It would lighten the cost of her college cost.

After a short time of waiting, they were served their meal. Their waitress was tentative to them.

When Fey and Jessica are eating, they pay their bill and leave a nice tip for their waitress.

“Where to now?” Fey looks towards Jessica for an answer.

“Well, some people I know are throwing a house party tonight. Do you want to go over and mingle for a while?” Jessica had a few friends who just got a new apartment.

“Sure, let's stop at the market so I can purchase a few items to give them.” Fey knew what the protocol was for going to a housewarming party.

Jessica and Fey stop at their local market to buy wine, cheese, and fruit platters. She also believes some freshly made brownies are sold at the market.

“Hey Jessica, do you want a brownie?” Fey had a weakness for brownies.

“Sure, but make sure it doesn’t have nuts.” Jessica didn’t like a lot of nuts in her brownies.

Fey orders four more brownies for herself and Jessica. Once the woman who makes them hands it to her.

“Thank you, ma’am.” Fey accepts the small box of brownies.

“You’re welcome. Enjoy.” Edith smiles at the young woman.

“Oh, I plan to.” Fey smiles at Edith and turns to leave.

Fey and Jessica walk out to Jessica’s car with their purchase. Jessica unlocks the door of the car and gets in. Fey looks over towards her friend and smiles.

“Let’s go and have some fun.”

Jessica puts the car into gear and drives towards the location. She knew the party was going to be fun. Before long, they pulled into the parking lot where Jessica’s friend's new apartment was.

The two exited the car and carried the items they had purchased for the party to the apartment. Since Jessica knew the people, Fey followed behind her. They could already hear music playing inside when they approached the front door.

Jessica knocks on the apartment door. After a few seconds, the door opens, revealing a tall, six-foot-tall, well-toned guy with brown hair. A smile appeared on Jessica’s face because she knew who the man was.

“Brandon, you guys have already started the party with me and my friend.”

“Sorry, Jessica. Debbie and some of her friends arrived earlier. Come on in and join the party.” Brandon steps aside to let Jessica and her roommate into the apartment.

Once they were inside, he shut the door behind them. He escorted them to the kitchen area, which was open. The kitchen had a counter where a person could sit and eat.

“Just place your items on the counter. Let me put the wine in the cooler, and help yourself to whatever you want to drink.” Brandon accepts the bottles of wine Jessica has picked out and puts them into a wine cooler.

Fey looked around the room and didn’t recognize anyone.

“Here, I know you don’t drink.” Jessica hands a virgin pina colada to Fey.

“Thanks.” Fey takes a sip from it and doesn’t detect any alcohol in the drink.

Jessica escorts Fey over to her friend Debbie. She spotted Debbie talking to two other women. She knew both women and how long they had been Debbie’s friends.

“Debbie, I can’t believe how fast the party started.” Jessica was surprised.

“Jessica.” Debbie hugs Jessica.

She spots Fey standing nearby. “who’s your shadow?”

“That’s my roommate and friend, Fey.” Jessica looks at Fey with a smile on her face.

“It’s nice to meet you, Debbie.” Fey holds her hand out to Debbie to shake.

Debbie smiles and shakes Fey’s hand. She noticed that Fey had bright blue eyes.

“Wow! Your eyes are bright. I’ve never seen eyes like that before.”

“Thanks. They have been liked that since I was born. So, how do you and Jessica know each other?” Fey was curious about their friendship.

“She followed me from Petoskey, Michigan,” Jessica answered for Debbie.

“So, you two went to the same private school together?” Fey knew Jessica went to a private Catholic school.

“We were the terror of the school. We broke the rules so often that Sister Mary Concessa had a special paddle for us.”

“They spanked you?” Fey was shocked at that statement.

“Oh, yeah. They also used a thick wooden ruler and whacked you across your knuckles. Oakcrest Academy still believed in using physical punishment for any infractions you committed.”

Fey looked at Jessica and couldn’t believe her mother would do something like that to her. She met Jessica’s parents, and they were friendly people. She even spent the holidays with them.

“My grandmother paid for me to go there.” Jessica noticed the look on Fey’s face.

“Why?” Fey was curious

“Tradition. The firstborn is always sent to Oakcrest Academy. My siblings were allowed to choose where they wanted to go, but I had no choice.” Jessica hated the tradition.

“Man, I didn’t know that.” Fey lays her hand on Jessica’s shoulder.

“Well, I was glad you were sent there, Jess. I wouldn’t have had as much fun as I did without you.” Debbie loved the pranks and the trouble they got into.

“Come on, let me introduce you to everyone.” Debbie starts introducing Jessica and Fey to everyone.

When people learn that Fey performs magic tricks and can hypnotize people, they want her to prove it. One guy in particular didn’t believe she could do it. He bet that Fey couldn’t hypnotize him.

Fey just looked at him. “Are you willing to let me prove I can?”

“Sure, I know that people can’t be hypnotized.” Andy stands up to Fey. He was only a foot or two away and six inches taller than her.

“Alright, don’t say I didn’t warn you.” As Fey changes the tone of her voice.

Fey looks him directly in his eyes and starts whispering. She kept his focus on her eyes, and within a minute, he was under.

“Who would like to see him act like a chicken?” Fey looks at the people watching her.

“A chicken is too easy. How about making him act like a Ballerina?”

Fey looks at the gentleman. In the same voice soft voice, she used to put him under, “When I snap my fingers, you will act like a Ballerina.”

Fey snaps her fingers, and Andy starts acting like a ballerina. He starts dancing like a ballerina. Fey watches the reaction from the others. After a few minutes, she stops him and snaps Andy out of his hypnotic state.

Andy looks confused as he looks at Fey. He saw the smile on her face. “So, when are you going to start?”

“I’ve already done it. Who would like to volunteer next?”

“I will, but don’t make me do anything stupid, please.” Sasha walks up to Fey.

A smile appears on Fey’s face. “I promise.”

Sasha relaxes and looks into Fey’s eyes, and in no time, she is hypnotized. Fey makes her dance for everyone and then has her act like a kitten. She lies on the floor on her stomach when she is brought back.

Fey takes a bow and goes back to socializing with everyone. She is asked many questions about how many people she can hypnotize at once and if it can be done permanently. She answers the questions the best she can. She also informs them where they can come to see her perform.

By the time Fey and Jessica leave the party. Both women were tried. Jessica drove them home and retired to her bedroom. On the other hand, Fey stays up a little longer before passing out with her nightstand light still on.

Fey doesn’t want to leave bed the following day and hit the gym when she wakes up. However, she knows if she doesn’t, she’ll regret it later. She drags herself out of bed and takes a quick shower. She gets dressed in her exercise outfit and grabs her gym bag with her regular clothes and swimsuit. She’ll try to get in a few laps before class this morning.

Fey heads towards the gym and works out. Afterward, she goes for a swim and does a few laps. She was well awake when she had to attend her first class for the day. She stops at her favorite gas station and grabs a cup of coffee. She couldn’t see spending seven dollars at Starbucks for coffee.

During her morning and afternoon classes, she tries to get motivated. However, the subject they were covering was so dull. She noticed a few students in her class had fallen asleep. She had some old-fashioned snappers she could throw to wake them. However, the last time she did that, her instructor told her she appreciated what she did, but she would be written up next time.

By the time her classes are done, Fey isn’t up to cooking anything when she gets home. So, she stops at the nearest Popeye’s near her place. She orders a three-piece chicken tenders meal.

While Fey was waiting for her meal, she noticed a couple of guys walking into the place. One walks up to the counter and pulls a gun on the
cashier. His partner stands nearby, pointing a gun towards her and several other people.

Fey notices that the young girl she had been entertaining hid behind her mother. The second gunman was close to them. She was nervous but couldn’t allow anything wrong to happen to the little girl. She looks at the second gunman, and in a soft voice, she tries to hypnotize him.

Once he locked eyes with her, she had him. She orders him to point his gun at his partner when the guy does as she suggests. “Excuse me, sir. I suggest you put your weapon down before your partner shoots you.”

The second guy turns around to say something and spots his partner pointing his gun at him. The woman who spoke was standing behind him. When he makes eye contact with her, her gaze immediately captures him.

“Now, be a good boy and return the money to the cashier.” Fey keeps eye contact with the person.

The guy hands the money back to the cashier. He turns around around and looks at the woman.

“That’s a good boy. Now, both of you will throw your guns into the trash and leave. You’ll never come back and bother this place again. Once you leave, you’ll remember nothing of this except what I order you to do.” Fey didn’t want these guys to return.

The two young men walk over to the trash and toss their weapons into the garbage. Afterward, they walk out the door and leave the property. Everyone watches as the young men go.

“How did you do that?” A young woman who had been standing near Fey looks at her.

“It’s a parlor trick, is all. Please, don’t tell anyone about this, please.” Fey didn’t want this to get around.

“Lady, after what you just did. You should get a medal or something.” Another person looks at Fey.

“I can do without a medal. All I care about is that all of you are safe.” Fey winks at the little girl.

“Well, whenever you come in to eat, your meal is on the house.” The manager on duty smiles at Fey.

“Thank you, sir.”

When Fey’s food was ready, she waved goodbye and headed home. She still couldn’t believe what she had done as she drove home. She only cared about protecting that little girl and her mother.

When Fey arrives home and parks. She sits in her car for a few minutes, getting herself under control. She had no idea where the courage she displayed came from or what she did would work.

She finally manages to get herself under control and centered. Once she was calm enough, she headed into the house. She heard moaning coming from Jessica’s bedroom and knew what that meant.

A sly smile appears on Fey’s face as she reheats her tender meal. She took the coleslaw out of the box. She knew Jessica and her girlfriend would be busy for the rest of the evening.

Fey makes herself comfortable on the sofa and watches a movie on Disney+ while she eats her meal. She saw the pizza box sitting on the kitchen table while she had been in the kitchen. It looked like Jessica and her girlfriend had a few slices before retiring to Jessica’s bedroom.

“Dave, I think we need to adjust this wire here.” Fey tests the thin wire holding the clear platform.

Dave walks over to test the wire himself. He helped Fey design some of the tricks and props they were performing. He was starting to feel tired because he didn’t sleep well last night. His girlfriend had come over and they messed around until early in the morning.

“It’s fine, Fey. It only has to hold our combined weight.” He turns to look at Fey.

“Are you sure, it's going to be fine?” Fey was concerned because this weekend they were going to be performing several new tricks that even Houdini himself wouldn’t perform.

“It’s fine. The one I’m nervous about is you escaping from the straight jacket while hanging upside down with the support rope burning.” Dave was concerned about that trick the most.

“Alright, let's practice that one, one more time, without the rope burning.” Fey trusted Dave and knew it might be best to retry that one again.

“Oh, by the way. Why do I have to wear this Chip and Dale outfit?” Dave looked like a Chip and Dale performer with the way he was dressed.

“Because you’re the distraction. All the women in the audience will be ignoring me and watching you strait your manly form.”

“Why don’t I perform the trick and you put a tiny sexy outfit on?” Dave wiggles his eyebrows at Fey.

“Because I’m already wearing a cute sexy outfit in the show. Plus, you are still learning how to do some of these tricks.” Fey picked Dave to work with after interviewing a lot of people.

He understood how the tricks they performed worked and he wanted to be just like her. He already had a YouTube following and could perform some of the same tricks she did. Plus, he had a remarkable physical body too.

“You know if I didn’t already have a girlfriend. I would consider chasing after you.” Dave smiles at Fey as he goes to get the straight jacket.

“You know I don’t date coworkers.” Fey has read about a lot of bad breakups between performers.

Fey prepares herself for the trick Dave is afraid of. She knew what her time was escaping from a straight jacket and how long it took for the rope to burn through. They weren’t burning the rope right now because of the fire detectors. They have to shut them down to do the trick.

“I found your jacket and checked it over.” As Dave comes walking back over to Fey holding it.

“Alright, let's practice the trick.” Fey prepares herself.

Dave puts the straight jacket onto Fey. He makes sure it’s nice and snug. They were going to have a person from the audience come up and check it.

“Are you ready?” Dave looks into Fey’s bright blue eyes.

“Yep.” Fey smiles Dave.

Dave gives Fey a quick kiss, before snapping the master lock shut. He smiles as a surprised look appears on her face “for good luck.”

“Why you!” Fey watches as Dave goes about securing the ankle cuffs to lift Fey up into the air.

They were using an electric wince to lift her and hang her upside down. All her props had been built either by herself and Dave or brought from retiring magicians and escape artists who decided to get out of the business.

“Alright, Fey. I’m starting the timer, now.” As Dave presses the button on the timer.

Fey starts wiggling around and soon pops her shoulder out. She manages to slip the straight jacket off and let it drop. She leans upwards and undoes the manacle securing her ankle. She drops down onto the stage afterward.

“How long?” Fey looks at Dave for her total time.

“Four minutes for the straight jacket and one minute for manacles. So, a total of five minutes.”

“It takes eight minutes for the rope to burn through.”

“So, that means if you want to stretch it out some. You’ll need to buy some time to impress the crowd.” Dave knew playing to the crowd always impresses them and builds suspense.

“Alright, let's do it again and see if we can draw it out.” Fey hated performing upside down, but it impressed people.

“Maybe next time we can do a water gig. That girl from Now You See Me did a nice one.” Dave loved that movie and the one that followed afterward.

“I’ll consider it.” Fey prepares herself for another go at it.

By the time the two of them called it quits, it was late in the afternoon and Dave was hungry. They were sitting on the stage resting when Trent came walking into the theater.

“There you guys are. I’ve been looking all over this theater for you.” Trent stops at the stage.

“We’ve been here the entire day. Why? What’s up?” Fey was curious.

“There is a bunch of television reporters out front looking to interview you?” A smirk appears on Trent’s face.

“Why would a bunch of television reporters want to interview you, Fey?” Dave looks towards Fey with a puzzled look on his face.

“I don’t know, why.” Fey hopes it wasn’t because of what she did at Popeye’s the other night.

“Oh, stop being so modest, Fey.” Trent pulls his cell phone out and locates the video on YouTube. He hands the cell phone to Dave “press play.”

Dave accepts the cell phone and presses play. He watches as Fey hypnotizes two armed robbers and makes them throw their guns into the garbage. The recording seemed like it came from an employee’s phone.

Dave looks at Fey “Why did you do that? You could have gotten yourself killed.”

“I couldn’t allow the little girl in the video to lose her mother or get injured herself.” Fey saw how scared the little girl was.

“Still, you could have been killed.” Dave was worried about his friend and partner.

“I know. Still, if my death meant that little girl could live or that her mother could live. I would do it all the time.” Fey felt what she did was worth it.

“Well, it's time for you to face the music, Fey.” Trent figures Fey could use this to her advantage.

“I guess your right.” Fey lets out a sigh.

“Fey, let me suggest something.” Dave just thought of a way to use this attention for them and the theater.

Twenty minutes later, while Dave entertained the news reporters in the theater. Fey had changed and used a fancy entrance to appear on stage.

“Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Fey Moore and I am here to answer all your questions.” As sparks appear behind her.

A smirk appears on Fey’s face as the resolution she made at the beginning of the year is being fulfilled.