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Chase Brody, a little hunched over, arms tightly tangled in the warmth of his coat, walked up to the brightly lit theatre of their town’s performance center. He had been feeling down lately, holed up in his room and sulking for the past few days. He knew it was only a matter of time before one of his brothers would take notice and try to drag him out. Usually, it involved lots of bargaining, arguing or lengthy lectures. This, however, was an unusual surprise.
He took out the note left at his doorstep earlier that day. It was written on thick parchment, sealed with a familiar four-suit crest pressed in what was once hot wax. On the inside, an invitation was written in beautiful, swooping calligraphy.
“Dearest brother,” it began. “Your presence is requested on the day of today at the town performance center at 7:30 pm precisely. We have an exciting new performance that I just know you will love! A seat will be reserved especially for you and I expect it to be filled with YOUR butt.” Chase rolled his eyes affectionately at how out of place that humor was. With a sigh, he continued reading. “Be there or be square. Yours truly, Marvin.”
A new performance? Just for me? Chase thought. New performances were rarely made, sometimes organized for special events or when Marvin was trying to woo some rich people out of their cash. But a new performance out of the blue just to cheer up his little brother? He supposed he had no choice but to find the cleanest set of clothes on his bedroom floor and shuffle his way to the performance center.
Chase pocketed the note in his coat and made his way towards the obnoxious lights of the building, trying his best to be as invisible as possible. Walking along the building’s side, he came face to face with a large poster featuring Marvin and his Cheshire grin. Standing along side him was his wonderful assistant, Jameson Jackson. He couldn’t help but let his tight and anxious frown soften at this sight of his brothers shinning back at him from the large poster. Chase breathed easier as he entered the building.
After making a stop at the snack counter, Chase moved towards his seat in the moderate little auditorium, mumbling apologies as he scoots by other show patrons. He finds a chair draped in a red velvet cloth. Sitting on the top is another piece of thick parchment. Embossed in emerald green letters is the word “Reserved”. He looks around to make sure this reserved seat is indeed for him, but finds all the other seats bear. It’s the only reserved seat in the auditorium. Strange, usually there are at least a few reserved seats, especially for a new performance. Marvin is really putting extra effort into cheering him up!
He puts the cloth and the parchment under his seat and sits down right as the lights in the auditorium fade to black. The crowd hushes. A deep voice booms through the loudspeakers as two spotlights swoop and swing around the room, cutting through the dark.
“Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls,” the announcer proclaims in a hypnotically bouncy rhythm. “Prepare to be thrilled, amazed and mystified at daring feats, mesmerizing stunts, and a little bit of magic! Be ready for the one, the only, MARVIN THE MAGNIFICENT!”
The lights snap to center stage. But nobody is there. Nothing happens. The room is quiet except for the electric static coming from the expectant spotlights. A buzz rises from the confused crowd after several stagnant seconds crawl by. Was the introduction a mistake? Did something go wrong?
Finally, a man walks on the stage. One of the spotlights slide over him as he shields his eyes. He’s a dapper man with old-timey clothes, complete with a vest and bowler hat. He stops center stage as he looks left and right. He taps a questioning finger to his mustache as it wiggles back an forth. Finally he throws his hands up in defeat and places them on his hips, earning a light chuckle from the audience.
Suddenly, his expression lights up as he puts his pointer finger in the air. From his sleeve, he begins yanking out a whole bedsheet. The crowd gives him a hearty laugh. Once the whole sheet is out, he flaps it open wide and turns around. The audience, confused, watches him lift two corners and throw it in the air. It stays there, on seemingly nothing at all! The dapper man, mustache wiggling comically, puts one hand on his hip as the other presents the blanket. Finally, he grabs the side of the blanket and YANKS it with a cool whoosh.
There, from behind the blanket, sitting in front of a small vanity, back facing the crowd, sits Marvin the Magnificent! He’s humming a low tune to himself as he pats a fluffy pad in a small container. It doesn’t take him long to whip his head around, faux confusion peeking through his classic cat mask as he seems to just then notice the large crowd behind him. The audience bursts into laughter as Marvin feigns shock.
“Jameson!”, he exclaims in mock anger. “What was that for, I wasn’t ready!”
Jameson swivels his finger back and forth disapprovingly then taps it on his pocket watch.
“What? Time already?” he asks as he stands up and faces his partner. Jameson excitedly nods his head.
Marvin clicks his tongue. “Well then, let’s get this party started!” He throws the fluffy pad in the air in a powdery cloud. All of the sudden, the pad is no longer a fluffy pad, but a snowy colored dove! The crowd applaused him excitedly, amazed at the first trick of the show!
Chase claps enthusiastically and feels himself sink contently in his chair as he relaxes into the familiarity of his brothers and their mystifying antics.
The rest of the show is just as entertaining. Card tricks, slight of hand, disappearing acts, all of which were executed expertly and with the grandiose expected from the magician and the old-timey assistant. Chase can’t help but marvel at how talented his brothers are and just how lucky he is that they’re presenting a new show just for him!
However, as the show moves along and the curtain closes to switch out props, Chase can’t help but notice that the show is...the same? He’s seen all these tricks and bits before, multiple times! Not that he thinks they’re bad by any means, he’s always impressed by their cleaver tricks and expert showmanship. It just struck him as odd that Marvin would tell him that the performance is new, but it end up being the same. Was he told that as a ploy to get him out of the house? No no, it’s not like Marvin to blatantly lie, especially to his brothers. There’s no way JJ would be in on such a thing anyways.
Something about this suddenly struck Chase as unusual.
He was taken out of his thoughts when the curtains opened back up, spilling out a hazy cloud of fog. Marvin was standing up high on top of a big tank of water, lit by harsh green lights. Chase had never seen Marvin do anything with water, maybe this is what he was talking about? Where is Jameson?
“Ladies and gentlemen,” Marvin proclaimed, his arms stretched out and strange grin on his face, “our time together has come to an end.” A few people in the crowd let out a disappointed groan.
Marvin let out a small giggle that Chase had never heard from Marvin before. It made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Something wasn’t right.
“Aww, don’t be sad,” he said, arms returning to his side with a mock frown of sadness. ”I have one more trick up my sleeve. A new trick that I’d like to dedicate to my dear brother,” his head tilted to the side at a painful looking angle and his whole face broke out in a smile that was all teeth, “Chase.”
Chase was on his feet in an instant, eyes wide in panic, looking at his brother on stage. There’s no way-it can’t be!
Marvin’s eyes filled with inky black and Chase’s heart skipped a beat.
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POP POP POP POP POP
All the lights in the auditorium started exploding in a rainfall of sparks and shattered glass. Chase ducked and covered behind the seats as the rest of the audience started screaming and fleeing for the exits in a panic. A crazed, glitchy laugh ripped through the small auditorium.
*SPLASH* *CLANG*
Chase’s blood ran cold as he bolted upright, eyes snapping to the center of the stage.
Marvin had been plunged into the tank of water!
“NO!” Chase screamed as bolted through the isle and hurdled up to the stage floor. He didn’t know how long Marvin could hold his breath! Did Anti even give him a breath before sinking him in the tank? How much time did he have before...
He ran to the tank to see Marvin floating in the center, cape billowing around him, his icy blue eyes locked on Chase and wide with terror.
“MARVIN,” he cried, fists making dull thuds as he banged on the glass. Marvin banged back frantically. His eyes flicked above him and he kicked to a trap door at the top of the tank. He punched the at the door, desperately trying to force it open.
Chase got the hint and swung himself around to the back of the tank. He found a ladder leading to the top and scaled it as fast as he could. He searched the trap door for a latch or a lock, any way of opening the top to free his trapped brother!
There was nothing. It was sealed shut somehow. Chase cried out in frustration and scrabbled his nails at the creases of the door, desperate to pry it open somehow, anyhow! His brother was going to drown of he didn’t find a way to get him out! He had to find another way! There had to be something!
Jameson. Where was Jameson?
When the realization hit, Chase jumped down the ladder and ran back to the front of the tank. He bounced on his heels and put a hand to the glass, looking into Marvin’s desperate eyes, knowing his time was running out.
“Don’t worry, I’ll be back!” he said, not knowing if Marvin could actually hear him, but wanting to reassure him anyways. He bolted stage right and shoved the curtains out of his way, mind set on finding the magician’s assistant.
“Jameson! JAMESON,” he screamed, eyes scanning the darkness. He saw movement to his left and a figure against the wall in the shadows.
Jameson was sitting on the ground, hands tied above his head to a steel bar, mouth taped shut to add insult to injury. There was blood mixed with sweat on the side of his head, matting hair to his face and dripping down to his white undershirt. He twisted and pulled desperately on the ropes.
Chase slid on his knees to his brother, and held his his head between his hands as the dapper man’s chest heaved in terror.
“JAMIE, JJ,” he cried, making his panic stricken brother look him in the eyes. “Do you have a key or something for that tank?” JJ trembled in Chases’s hands and shook his head side to side, pain and desperation in his eyes.
“Is there another way to open it?” JJ stilled for a fraction of a second as his eyes darted around. Suddenly, he lit back up, hands gesturing rapidly. Chase thought he was trying to use sign language until he realized they were pointing frantically at something behind him. He jerked around to follow JJ’s direction.
There, on the other side of the wall, sat a large fireman’s axe.
Chase didn’t hesitate for a second, flinging himself back up and sprinting to the other side. He tore the axe from the wall and set off for the front of the stage.
He skidded to a halt at the left side of the tank. Marvin’s eyes were screwed shut in pain and his movements were slowing down. His air was running out. There wasn’t much time.
Chase grasped the axe with both hands, squared up his legs, and readied the axe behind him. It whooshed through the air as he launched it as hard as he could to the glass in front of him, letting out a frantic grunt as the blade made contact.
The glass cracked a little. But not enough.
Chase reeled back and flung the axe once more. He managed to lodge it in the glass as cracks spidered out from the impact.
Marvin was alarmingly still and his lidded eyes started to roll to the back of his head.
Chase tore the axe out with a desperate grunt as hot tears started forming in the corner of his eyes. Water started hissing through the cracks he made. He reeled back and swung the axe again, and again, more water spraying him in his face as he cried out, punctuating a word with each crack of the glass.
“I-WON’T-LET-YOU-DIE!”
After what felt like a lifetime, the glass finally gave away, a tsunami of water coming with it. Chase dropped the axe and opened his arms, catching his water-logged brother as they both crashed to the ground by the spouting current. He sputtered a bit on the ground, an alarmingly still Marvin laying across his lap.
Chase strained upright, bringing the magician up with him in his arms. Marvin’s head was limp, falling backwards over Chase’s arms.
“Marvin! Marv, please!” he begged as he lifted his brother’s head and pushed away the wet hair caked to Marvin’s face. “Marv, don’t do this to me! Y-you can’t!” Chase lightly patted his face, sobbing curses and pleas, barely able to see through his tear filled eyes.
Chase was about to start CPR, when Marvin suddenly jolted awake, sending a fountain of water out of his lungs in a huge convulsed cough. He twisted sideways in Chase’s arms and hacked up more water before sucking in a desperate gasp of air, followed by more coughing fits and water expulsion.
Alive! His brother was alive! Alive and breathing! Well, trying anyways. Chase let out a broken sob and began firmly thumping his brother’s back to help him get the water out. After a couple minutes of coughing and taking in wheezy, greedy breaths, Marvin turned back over, his unfocused eyes finally catching Chase’s teary blue orbs.
“A-Anti-“ he croaked, “h-he-“ Marvin’s words stopped dead, getting caught in a half sob, half cough.
“Shh, shh, I know,” Chase said, hugging his trembling brother’s form closer and bringing a soothing hand to Marvin’s cheek. “Don’t talk, just breathe. Just breathe for me.”
Chase spent a moment, just holding Marvin close, listening to him take in shaky breaths. In and out, in and out. Sweet, precious air. He almost lost him, he almost lost his big brother. Hearing him breathe, Chase thought, was one of the most cherished things he’d heard in a long, long time...
Suddenly, JJ came sprinting form backstage, being mercifully cut loose by a startled employee who had come to see what happened. Each footfall made splashing noises as he flung himself on his knees in front of the pair, speech slides moving so fast, Chase could hardly read them!
I’m so sorry! Anti...I didn’t know-I don’t know how...He k-knocked me out cold and-
“Jamie, Jamie! Slow down, breathe!” Chase lightly chastised with an exhausted laugh. “It wasn’t your fault, everything’s gonna be okay.”
Jameson let out a noiseless sob and flung his arms around both his brothers, resting his head on Chase’s shoulder and hugging them both close.
“Everything’s gonna be okay.” Chase breathed.
Somewhere in the distance, a light giggle echoed through the small auditorium.