ADVANCED STEP:
1. Want to go a little further? Then try this: Use your thumb to cross underneath your palm and grab the coin from your pinky.
2. Now move the coin back to your index finger and start again!
If you practice this enough and get really good at it, it will make the coin appear to vanish and reappear back at the start each time. Voilà!
SIX
The next morning, Carter woke up on the bench in front of the town hall where he’d spent the night. Someone had covered him with a bristly old blanket. He felt for his bag across his chest. Still there, thank goodness.
His vision spun as he took in the park across the street, to see if anyone might be watching him. Its crisp green grass reached out for several blocks in either direction. A grand-looking white gazebo stood directly in the center of the lawn. Quaint, colorful buildings lined the streets that surrounded the park. Whimsical wooden signs hung over doors to shops that weren’t yet open. There was one shaped like a tall boot, another like a striped piece of red-and-white candy, and another was an old-fashioned silver key. The area was empty except for a few well-dressed people out for a morning stroll, and no one looked in his direction.
He was relieved to see the sun. Not having a home was always hardest when it was raining. Carter got up, stretched, then peed behind some bushes. Something jangled inside his pants pocket. Reaching inside, Carter pulled out several coins. They must have come from the same person who’d covered him with the blanket. But who? Then he remembered: the circus crew. They’d probably followed him and were trying to convince him to join them. Unsure of who gave him the blanket, Carter folded it and stashed it beneath the bench in case he needed it again that night.
He was about to throw away the B-shaped pretzel from the previous night, but then he thought better of it and tore it into pieces, sharing most of it with a crowd of pigeons before taking a few bites for himself. At least some good came out of that horrible man.
Without Uncle Sly making the daily decisions, Carter wasn’t sure what to do next. He could choose his own fate. Should he leave town or stay? (He had no idea.) Should he join Bosso’s crime circus? (Absolutely not.) Should he search for Mr. Vernon? (Where would he start?)
He took Vernon’s ace card out of his sleeve and flipped it over in his hand. It was an ordinary card. But examining it closer, he noticed the tiniest crease. He held it up to the sunlight. Sure enough, there was an almost invisible fold down the center. He opened the crease and found that the ace of spades became a jack of diamonds. Except the image of the jack was holding a business card in his hand with an address on it: 1313 Main Street. “Whoa,” Carter whispered.
A warm feeling rose in his chest—it was an unfamiliar sensation. It made him feel awkward and vulnerable, so he tried to push it down. Perhaps Mr. Vernon would turn out to be a nice guy. But he could just as easily turn out to be as bad as Bosso or his uncle. Either way, Carter wouldn’t get his hopes up.
Carter circled the small park, found Main Street, then followed the numbers until he reached a small shop tucked between two taller office buildings. The sign over its door was shaped like a top hat. The hand-painted letters on the glass window read:
Vernon’s Magic Shop
Purveyors of the Impossible
When Carter entered, a tiny bell on the door rang out loud. A green-feathered parrot with a yellow neck squawked, “Hello, Carter! Welcome to Vernon’s Magic Shop!”
“How did that bird know my name?!” Carter asked, astounded.
“Magic, of course,” said a large-eyed girl sitting on the counter. She wore a white jacket with straps that tied her arms behind her back.
“There’s no such thing as magic,” Carter said, recalling this was the same conversation he’d had with Mr. Vernon the previous night. But as he looked around the shop, he felt something hopeful stir inside.
The two-story shop’s walls were covered floor to ceiling with bookshelves and autographed black-and-white photographs of famous magicians. Every surface was cluttered with magical items of every sort: crystal balls, decks of cards, top hats, wands, capes, and even a human skull. A wooden staircase curved up toward a small balcony, where there sat a small wooden table and two leather chairs. The table was empty except for a chessboard, mid-game.
Carter felt like a kid in a candy store—except hungrier. (Well, not as hungry as he was one night prior…) His gaze swept over the towering shelves packed with alphabetized boxes labeled things like FINGERTIPS, FLASH PAPER, FOG, and FOOLS’ GLASS. He wanted to ask what it was all for, but he felt embarrassed, so he promised himself that the next time he found a library, he’d look these things up. There were bouquets of rainbow feather flowers, jars filled with marbles of all sizes, a ventriloquist’s dummy in a tuxedo and a cape (very much like Mr. Vernon’s from the night before), even a white rabbit hopping across the floor!
“So you’re Carter?” the girl said.
“Yes,” Carter answered uncomfortably. He didn’t like strangers knowing his name. “Um… do you need help getting out of that?”
“My straitjacket? No, thanks! I’ve got this. But do me a favor and count to five.”
“One… two… three…”
“Forget it. I’m out!” she cried, shaking the jacket off. Underneath, she wore a formfitting black shirt and pants. She hopped down from the counter, walked confidently over to Carter, and extended her hand. “My name is Leila the Great, escape artist extraordinaire. Nice to meet you, Carter.” Brown irises sparkled with flecks of amber in her eyes. Her wavy dark hair draped to the nape of her neck and bounced whenever she moved her head.
“Were you expecting me?” Carter mumbled, taken aback.
“Nope. But my dad was,” Leila said.
“Who’s your dad?”
“That would be me,” a voice said from behind him. “I believe we’ve already met.”
Startled, Carter nearly jumped through the window. A moment before, he and Leila (and the parrot) had been alone in the shop. He was certain of it.
“Mr. Vernon!” Carter said. “Where’d you come from?”
“Here and there,” Mr. Vernon said, avoiding the question. “I see you found the store.”
“So I was right. You were selling something,” Carter said, motioning to the store. “No one does magic just for fun.”
“I do!” Leila proclaimed.
Mr. Vernon shook his head. “I wasn’t trying to sell you anything, Carter. On the contrary, I simply recognized a kindred spirit and shared something that brought a smile to your face. That’s hardly a crime, is it?”
Carter’s cheeks flushed as he remembered the kindness that this man had shown him at Bosso’s carnival. Still, he couldn’t bring himself to say thanks for the warning about Bosso, at least not in front of this girl. He was sure that she didn’t need to know about his predicament.
Mr. Vernon placed his hand over a stack of the business cards and made one flutter across the counter. It floated off the surface and danced on air. A moment later, the card dropped into his hand.
Carter felt that excitement stir in his stomach. It was an unfamiliar feeling. He found himself craving more. “How’d you do that?”
“Magic,” Mr. Vernon said simply.
“There’s no—” Carter started.
“—such thing,” Mr. Vernon finished for him. “Yes, yes, you’ve said as much. I respectfully disagree. Look around you. I’ve tried to create a sense of wonder for those who step across my threshold. Do you not feel it?”
Carter did feel it. But it made him uncomfortable that this stranger could read him like a book.
Nodding, Leila piped up again. “I saw his face when he walked through the door. He definitely feels the wonder.”
Carter crossed his arms and pursed his lips.
“Still with the gruff demeanor and dark outlook, I see,” Mr. Vernon said. “Very well. Not everyone need be cheerful all the time. Magic accepts all kinds. I’m happy you’re here. I was just tel
ling my daughter about you.”
“How are you two related? You don’t look anything alike,” Carter noted. Leila’s golden-hued complexion suddenly turned pink. Carter immediately wished he could take the words back; he hadn’t meant to embarrass anyone.
“Families come in all different shapes and sizes,” Mr. Vernon commented as he pulled a feather duster out of nowhere and began cleaning a shelf that didn’t look like it needed cleaning. “Like a snowflake or a thumbprint, no two look alike.”
“Plus, I’m adopted,” Leila clarified with a grin. She pulled a pair of handcuffs from the counter and locked them onto her own wrists. “But I was rather lucky ending up with someone who understands my need to escape. I was good at it before, but since I came here, my dad’s taught me all sorts of ways to do it better.”
“Luck? Don’t you mean magic?” Mr. Vernon smiled, tugging at Leila’s handcuffs to show they were on securely.
“I prefer to think of it as fate,” Leila reasoned.
A spark awoke in Carter. Fate. That’s what he’d felt had brought him to this town too. He’d sensed it while climbing to the roof of the train car, and it had only grown as his uncle disappeared into the distance.
Leila walked over to Carter and clapped her hands. When Carter looked down, the handcuffs were on his wrists.
“How’d you do that?” Carter asked. He knew plenty of tricks, but already he could tell these people were experts compared to him.
“Escape artist,” Leila said in a pointed whisper, “remember?”
The tiny bell on the door rang again as a bearded man with dark eyes and a handsome smile entered.
The parrot squawked, repeating, “Hello, Carter. Welcome to Vernon’s Magic Shop.”
Carter laughed. “So it wasn’t magic! You just taught the bird to say that to everyone who walked in today.”
Mr. Vernon shrugged, trying not to laugh. “Did I?”
“Hello, Carter,” the other man said. “I’m Mr. Vernon.”
Carter looked from Mr. Vernon to the second Mr. Vernon. They looked nothing alike either. The second Mr. Vernon was several inches shorter than his counterpart, and wore glasses. His trimmed beard covered the bottom half of his face, which shone in the morning light that streamed through the shop windows. He was dressed in a stained white jacket that had two rows of shiny buttons running up the front, and his pants were checkered black and white.
Seeing Carter’s confusion, Leila explained, “I have two dads.” She rushed over to this new man and kissed his cheek. “Hi, Poppa!”
“I don’t even have one parent,” Carter said. “You’re lucky.”
“You can call me the Other Mr. Vernon,” Leila’s second dad said to Carter. “Everyone does… well, except for Leila here. I don’t do magic—except in the kitchen.”
“You make food disappear?” Carter asked.
“No, he’s a cook. I’m the one who makes food disappear,” Leila said, rubbing her stomach.
“He’s not simply a cook,” Mr. Vernon noted. “He is the head chef at the Grand Oak Resort. You might have noticed it overlooking our town.”
“It’s a beautiful resort—usually,” the Other Mr. Vernon explained. “Ever since that B. B. Bosso and his crew checked in, they’ve been making an absolute mess of everything. Demanding food when the kitchen is closed, raiding the pantries after hours, behaving like beasts. Those vagabonds are absolute animals.”
Carter cringed at the word vagabond—which means a person who wanders from place to place without a home or a job. Carter had been called a vagabond—many times.
Mr. Vernon threw a harsh glance at the Other Mr. Vernon, then quickly added, “Carter, did you know that the famous illusionist P. T. Selbit grew up without a roof over his head? They say it gave him the drive to be a successful magician.”
The Other Mr. Vernon ducked behind the counter, scanning the area. “Apologies, I didn’t mean to interrupt, but I forgot my key. Where is that thing?”
“Is this it?” Leila asked, holding up a key at the center of a series of knots and bound rope.
“Would you mind?” the Other Mr. Vernon asked, putting his hand out.
Leila—in less than two seconds—unknotted the ropes and placed the key in her father’s hand. She kept the rope for herself. Carter couldn’t believe his eyes. Her hands were as fast as his own.
“Thank you very much,” the Other Mr. Vernon said. He kissed his daughter on the forehead and waved politely to Carter as he stepped outside. “Nice to meet you.”
“Oooh, this rope gives me an idea for a trick I’d like to practice!” Leila smiled.
“Brilliant. But perhaps after school,” Mr. Vernon said. “Shouldn’t you be on your way, young lady?”
Leila’s confident smile slipped into a frown. “Carter’s not on his way to school.”
“Well, then it’s a good thing that you’re not Carter.”
“I—I’m between schools right now,” Carter blurted out.
Thankfully, Leila ignored this. “May I take the day off?” she asked her father.
“A day off from school?” Mr. Vernon raised a pointy white eyebrow. “Whatever for, my darling daughter?”
“It’s been a tough week. The other kids…” Leila said quietly. “They just don’t… understand me.”
“If you can escape a straitjacket,” said Mr. Vernon, “I’m sure you can find some way to impress one or two of your classmates. And if not, just tie them to their chairs!”
“Believe it or not, most kids don’t like hearing about how to escape,” Leila explained. “That’s the problem: I offered to show them how it all works, but now none of the girls will let me sit with them at lunch! And the boys, they just laugh at me in the hallways and call me Freak.”
“Freak?” Mr. Vernon echoed, appalled. “Maybe chivalry is dead.”
Leila rolled her eyes. “Don’t you mean, chivalry is dumb?”
“You could always try disappearing instead,” said Carter. “That’s helped me get out of tons of predicaments.”
Leila laughed. “Well, I am in a predicament.” Sighing, she added, “I’ll give it a shot.” She walked over to her dad and hugged him. As she passed Carter, she stuck out her hand again. “A pleasure to meet you. See you soon?”
Carter shook her hand. “I hope so.”
Then Carter and Mr. Vernon were alone. Mr. Vernon continued to dust his totally clean shop. Without looking, he asked, “Tell me, Mr. Carter, how was the remainder of your evening? Uneventful, I hope?”
“Bosso tried to get me to join his gang,” Carter admitted. “I said no.”
“Brilliant.”
“How did you know he was going to ask me?” Carter wondered out loud.
“I didn’t know,” Mr. Vernon said. “But I had a very strong hunch. B. B. Bosso is a greedy man. He’s also something of a collector. You’ve got some skills that would make a fine addition to any collection.”
Carter put his hands in his pockets. “You obviously don’t know me very well.”
“Nonsense. You are a young man with great intelligence, even greater common sense, and an honorable code for living. No matter where we live or how much we have, these are the most important things. You have quite the talent with your fast hands. In my entire career as a magician, I have only seen one other person with such nimble fingers.”
Carter was stunned into silence. Did Mr. Vernon know he was homeless and poor? Or was he guessing? Carter felt undeserving of such compliments. He wondered suddenly if Mr. Vernon was the one who’d left the blanket. But how could Carter ask him without revealing the truth of his situation?
“You’re wrong,” Carter whispered. “I’m a… a…” He tried to think of the word Bosso had used the previous night. “A misfit.”
“Aren’t we all misfits of some sort or another?” Mr. Vernon called out, suddenly upstairs, looking over the balcony.
“How’d you—?” Carter gasped.
Mr. Vernon took a book off the shelf and dropped
it down to Carter. The old orange cloth cover was embossed with black lettering: Vanishing & Unvanishing, by Bailey & Barnes.
“What’s this?” Carter asked, cracking open the cover and flipping through the first few pages. It was slim enough to fit nicely in his bag, and yet—
“Homework,” Mr. Vernon said. “Read it. I suspect you’ll appreciate it.”
“I don’t have any money,” Carter admitted.
“Consider it a gift,” Mr. Vernon said with a toss of his hand. “From one magician to another.”
“I’m not a magician,” Carter said, his voice trembling. “I just do tricks.”
“Then you don’t see what I see,” Mr. Vernon said. “And seeing is believing, as the saying goes.”
The man hurried down the stairs and grabbed his cape and top hat from their hooks on a wall. He led Carter toward the door. “Unfortunately, I have a terribly busy day and need to close the shop while I see about a few things around town. But you should come back. Say, about four o’clock?”
“Uh, sure, I can do that,” Carter said, confused. He was both grateful for the gift and surprised to be getting kicked out after such a short talk.
“Brilliant,” Mr. Vernon said, pushing him out the door. “Four o’clock sharp. See you then.”
SEVEN
Carter spent the warm day in the park reading the book Mr. Vernon had given him. He’d never owned a book before. As soon as he opened it, he was unable to remove his eyes from the simple black-and-white illustrations explaining magic tricks he’d once thought impossible.
He pored over the drawings and words from cover to cover. Then he began again at the beginning and started to memorize the first trick. Before he knew it, the bell in the town hall clock tower chimed four times. Looking up from the book, he discovered that Mineral Wells had come to life. A great many people of all shapes, sizes, colors, and ages walked along Main Street. The adults were carrying shopping bags filled with clothes, and groceries, and art supplies, and antique knickknacks. The kids wandering home from school wore heavy knapsacks on their backs.
The Magic Misfits Page 5