#henleyreeves

Love is Like a Playing Card (J. Daniel Atlas)

Sequel to Love is Only an Illusion

Chapter I

Chapter II

Chapter III

Chapter IV

Chapter V

Chapter VI

Chapter VII

Chapter VIII

Chapter IX

Chapter X

Chapter XI

Chapter XII

Chapter XIII

Chapter XIV

Chapter XV

Chapter XVI

Chapter XVII

Chapter XVIII

Chapter XIX

Chapter XX

Chapter XXI

Sutton rubbed the sleep from her eyes, the morning sun shining bright through her New York apartment window. She checked her Fitbit. It was only ten in the morning. Sutton yawned, the night life taking its toll on her sleep schedule. She had become more of a night owl than she had ever been since going into hiding, as per The Eye's orders 15 months ago.

Sutton sat up slightly on one elbow, staring down at her sleeping boyfriend. She ran her hand over his newly-shaven scalp. She loved the feeling of the short pricks tickling her skin. Her finger traveled over Danny's prominent features. Sutton cupped his chin and ran her thumb over his lips, just as Danny had done to her countless times. As she did this, Danny stirred slightly.

Knowing he would be awake shortly, Sutton's hand traveled down Danny's chest as she gave him a light kiss on the lips. Her hand traveled farther down Danny's abdomen where she drew her finger in various shapes. She found herself becoming lost in the memories of their love story.

"Ahhh!" Sutton screamed as she was thrown onto her back as Danny straddled her.

"Good morning, beautiful," Danny smiled at her as he bent down, placing a kiss to her lips as his hands expertly explored her body.

"Mhm. Good morning, handsome," Sutton smirked, cleverly moving her hips underneath Danny as she gripped his arms

Danny groaned, throwing his head from side to side. "Thank God for this sheet between us or I would be having my way with you already this morning."

Sutton giggled, playfully pushing Danny off her. Sutton held the sheet close to her body as she stood. She twirled back around, watching the sheet fall from Danny's body.

"Hey, not fair!" he smiled, jumping off the bed and over to her, trying to fight his way into the sheet.

Sutton laughed as he began to tickle her. She forced her arms open, allowing Danny to wrap his arms tightly around her, their naked bodies becoming one once again. Danny kissed her hard, slightly bending her backwards.

"Round two in the shower?" Sutton said with the lift of her eyebrow.

"What do you think?" Danny replied, mimicking Sutton's actions and dragging her to the shower.

~~

Sutton emerged from the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her body and freshly combed hair. With her glasses slightly foggy, she padded lightly to the kitchen, scooping coffee grounds into the maker and filling it with water. As the coffee maker boiled to life, she walked back toward the bathroom. Danny was just stepping out of the shower.

"Danny, how many times do I need to remind you to dry off in the shower?" Sutton huffed at her boyfriend.

"I'm sorry, beautiful," Danny smirked as he grabbed for Sutton's towel. Expertly pulling at the tucked in fabric, he pulled the towel open, wrapping it around his body and drawing her near in the process. "It's much nicer to dry off with you."

Sutton bit back a smile. "You do know you're just making me wet all over again, right?"

Danny cocked an eyebrow. "Sutton Reeves, I do believe you have worn me out for the morning."

Sutton hit Danny's shoulder. "Jackass!" she laughed, pulling his mouth to hers.

Somewhere in the apartment, a voice cleared their throat. Sutton and Danny stared at each other, neither one moving.

"Hello?" the voice called. "Mating season is over, lovebirds!"

Sutton and Danny let out the air they had been holding in. "Why are you here, Merritt?" Danny called out, giving Sutton her towel back and getting his own. "You're supposed to be with Jack and Henley until tonight."

"Emergency meeting," Jack's voice answered, followed by a crunch of chips.

Sutton huffed. "Jack, stop eating my food!" She heard Jack mimic her obnoxiously.

Danny kissed the top of her head. "Now you know how I feel every single day," he chuckled.

~~

After awkwardly shuffling to Sutton's room and quickly changing, Sutton and Danny went out to meet their fellow Horsemen. Danny took a seat on the couch with Sutton snuggling up beside him.

"Please tell me we have something, Dylan," Danny questioned the mastermind behind their first scheme. Sutton pushed Danny's shoulder back as if to tell him to chill.

"I'm afraid not, Danny," Dylan replied as he wrung his hands around one another. He glanced over at Henley, who was biting her lipstick-coated lips.

"Hen?" Sutton's voice piped up. Henley didn't look at her. "Henley?" Sutton called again. Still, Henley didn't look at her. Sutton looked around at Jack, Merritt, and Dylan, begging for a reason as to what was wrong with her cousin.

Merritt looked down at his hands, thumbs twiddling over and over again. Jack looked down at the bag of chips in his hands, suddenly disgusted by them. Dylan, on the other hand, kept glancing over at Henley.

Sutton looked at Danny, who was repeating her motions of searching for answers. He looked at her, confusion written all over his face as well. "Did we-?" they both started before Sutton finished for them. "Did we do something wrong?"

Henley shot her a look, eyes wide. "No, of course not, sweetie," Merritt counseled her, giving her knee a light pat.

"Then what the hell is going on?" Danny questioned, his eyes boring through Dylan before moving onto Henley. Sutton looked at him, knowing he was thinking the same thing as her.

Dylan started. "It's compli-"

"I'm leaving the Horsemen," Henley announced, her eyes filling with tears as her voice cracked.

After the voice told him to leave, Danny wandered through the tunnels aimlessly, trying to come up with a way to excuse his absence to Sutton. He sat down in a dry area of the tunnel. Sighing, Danny ran a hand over his face, upset with the betrayal he just committed. If Sutton were to ever find out, she would never forgive him. Was he really that desperate to perform magic that he was willing to risk losing her? Finally, he took out his phone, calling Sutton. It rang seven times before going to voicemail. Danny wasn’t even sure what he would have told Sutton if she answered.

Shaking his head, Danny stood slowly, making his exit from the tunnel. He threw his hood up as sunlight started to emerge. Again, he absentmindedly tried calling Sutton, hoping to hear her voice ask him where he was. Again, nothing. 

Danny let out a breath. His stomach responded, forcing him to go in the direction of some fast food. Danny smirked, knowing just what would make Sutton smile after how he had treated her yesterday, and hopefully soften the blow when he told her of his latest adventure. He called Sutton again, letting out a breath. Sutton’s voice didn’t come through.

Danny found a fast food restaurant, grabbing him and Sutton some food. He immediately started toward the apartment. One more time, he told himself as he called Sutton. As the phone call went to voicemail, he started up the steps to their apartment. Sighing, he ended the call as he reached the top of the stairs. He noticed their door was opened. Danny wiped his eyes to give him more clarity. As he walked into the apartment, he noticed the culprit lying on his couch.

“Oh, hi!” a woman welcomed him.

“Who are you?” Danny questioned. “What are you doing in my-”

“It’s actually a funny story,” the woman said, cutting him off. 

Danny ignored her as she began to ramble. “How did you get into my apartment?” His foot hit a trip wire. Danny watched as her set up began, ending with a blade cutting her head off. Danny nodded. “Okay. Seriously, how did you get in here? Are you some kind of crazed fan or something?” He set the food down, the smell of food now making his stomach clench. He shook his head, shaking it off. “Oh, my God. No, no, no. I recognize you. You did that-you did that B-grade, geek magic thing. You pulled a-”

“Pulled the hat out of the rabbit,” the woman’s voice cleared up for him.

“A hat out of a rabbit, that’s right.” Danny walked over toward the body. “No, it was actually kind of disgusting.”

“Well, it was way worse for the rabbit.”

“Yeah, well, your drop was obvious,” Danny told her, “and your body shell is,” he picked up a hand and watched it fall, “is flimsy.” He dropped the empty shell, picking up the couch’s compartment. “So if you wouldn’t mind crawling out from under my couch and leav-” The sound of a straw being sipped within an empty cup rang throughout the apartment.

“Ta-da!” the woman responded to his surprised look. “Now I’m sitting over here. Crazy! By the way, that rabbit thing, that was like eight years ago, okay?”

Danny shook his head, walking toward the girl and grabbing some rope as she claimed to have gotten better at her magic since then. Danny took the now empty cup from her. “Have you? Okay, come here.” He started tying her hands. “What is it you want?”

“Well, I wanted to meet you,” she admitted as she watched Danny. “Everybody, really. I wanna be part of The Eye.” Danny tied the knot tightly, looking up at her. “Okay? I said it. I do. And I wanna use my magic for good. Like you and Merritt and Jack, especially.”

Danny looked at her again. “Oh, that’s right. I know that Jack is alive. I know that he, and Sutton, faked their own deaths. I am a huge fan of faking deaths! That was crazy!” Danny finished the knot. “What is this?” the girl asked. “Trucker’s hitch? Terrible.” She took the rope off with ease, handing it back to Danny.

“Embarrassing,” she told Danny as he pulled her arms behind her back, trying again to tie them. “By the way, I’m so sorry that Henley left you. Ow! God!” she yelled as Danny pulled the rope a little too tight out of anger. He apologized. “That’s actually a little better. You know what I heard? About Henley?”

Danny rolled his eyes. He knew why Henley left. Who cares about what this freak had heard? “I heard she got tired of waiting around. She lost faith so she asked for an out, and The Eye gave it to her. But who knows, right? In matters of the heart, so difficult to tell. I mean, maybe she got sick of you. You ever think about that? Control issues. Maybe you just didn’t tie her up tight enough. Ow!”

Danny cleared his throat, tired of her talking about things she obviously didn’t know. “Here’s what’s gonna happen. Uh, you’re going to stay here and stop talking.” He made for the landline that Dylan insisted they have. “I’m going to make a phone call and in about five minutes, some people are going to-” He looked back at the girl but she was gone. 

Just then, he got a text message. He was hopeful, praying it was Sutton. Instead, it was Dylan calling a meeting for tonight. He shook his head, leaning against the counter.

“Shit,” Danny heard the one voice he wanted to hear, curse.

Once in the confines of her bedroom, Sutton removed her current clothing and replaced it with her favorite kinds of clothing- a t-shirt and athletic shorts. Sutton shimmied into a pair of gray shorts and her favorite Harry Potter shirt. She left on her Nike socks, as they were worn constantly around the apartment due to the cold flooring.

Pulling up her hair into a quick messy bun, Sutton walked of her bedroom, but not without running into Danny who was on his way to the bathroom. “I’m sorry,” she mumbled.

“It’s fine,” Danny replied, looking down at her shirt. “Cute shirt.” He winked at her as a smirk took over his lips.

Sutton squinted her eyes at him. As Danny closed the door, the smoke alarms started going off.

“Sutton, I need you!” Henley’s voice yelled. Sutton shrugged off Danny’s comment and made her way to the kitchen.

~~

The new friends ate pizza in almost complete silence. Henley chose to serve the boys pizza for their first night together, each one adding their own toppings. The only words leaving anyone’s mouth were barely understandable as they hungrily devoured each pie.

“I can’t eat another thing,” Merritt huffed as he rested against the back of his chair, patting his stomach.

They all agreed, but Jack. He stole the leftovers from the stove.

“Jack, how do you stay so fit with all the food you eat?” Henley asked.

Jack swallowed. “I work out a bit. You know, run five miles every morning, pushups throughout the day, crunches.”

Danny’s eyes grew wide in horror. “That’s insane!”

“But the chicks dig it, man!” Jack insisted, winking at Sutton and Henley.

“Oh, please, Wilder!” Sutton waved her hand at him. “You are so not my type.”

“Type?” Danny piped up, leaning closer toward Sutton’s right side. “You have a type?”

Sutton looked him up and down. “You ain’t it either, city boy.”

Everyone cracked up laughing as Danny stuttered, “City boy? Oh, and what are you?”

“She’s a country girl,” Henley announced, admiring her cousin with a smile. “The farmer’s daughter.”

The boys stared at her, as if they couldn’t believe it.

“A mentalist and a farm girl, huh?” Merritt asked, walking into the kitchen to refill his water glass. “You’ll make a lucky man happy, Sutton Reeves.”

Sutton blushed lightly, but was soon rolling her eyes when Danny asked, “What is so amazing about a ‘farm girl’?” Although she wanted to throw back a nasty comment, Sutton swallowed it.

Jack said, “Dude, they are some of the hardest working women you’ll ever meet.” He smiled at Sutton as she blushed again, but something in his smile told Sutton his next comment would be inappropriate. “Plus, those girls are the best in bed.”

Danny and Merritt choked on their drinks as Sutton and Henley burst into fits of laughter.

“How would you even know that, Jack?” Merritt asked as he regained his voice.

“I spent a day in New York’s rural area,” he smirked, leaning back as if he had outdone them all.

“I hope you aren’t trying to get in Sutton’s pants,” Henley commented. Sutton’s eyes went wide.

“Oh, I’m sure she would put up a fight,” he winked, noticing Sutton’s uncomfortable posture.

Sutton groaned, collecting everyone’s plates. “Is this how life is going to be from now on?”

“You better believe it, beautiful.” Jack threw another wink at her and stared as she walked into the kitchen.

Danny hit him on the arm and waited until Sutton had started the running water for the dishes. “You’re being so unprofessional.”

“Leave him go, Danny,” Henley intervened. “He’s just joking. It’s not like you haven’t slept with, what is your count now? 100?”

Danny scoffed. “It’s 101,” he joked, standing up from his place and traveling into the living room, where he returned to the same place as before.

Henley rolled her eyes. “Don’t mind him, boys,” she told Jack and Merritt. “He is just so used to everything being his way.”

“Oh, one of those personalities,” Merritt smirked. “This is going to be fun!”

The three laughed as Sutton asked, “Can someone dry these dishes?” Henley rolled her eyes and went to help her.

Jack and Merritt joined Danny in the living room. Merritt flopped down on the couch and Jack sat on the floor by it, turning on the television. He flipped through the channels until Danny yelled, “Can’t you just pick something?”

Jack looked over at him, annoyed with his attitude. “Someone needs to go to bed.” Danny ignored him as he did more card tricks.

“Leave the grumpy boy go, Jack,” Merritt said. “He’s just jealous because the girls like us better.”

Danny scoffed. “They do not. They simply take pity on you.”

“Oh, yeah, extreme pity.”

“Okay, boys,” Sutton announced, drying her hands on a dish towel. “We have two air mattresses in the closet, so someone needs to sleep on the couch.”

“Called it,” Merritt announced, rolling to face the back cushions.

Sutton smiled lightly at the elder gentleman. “You two, follow me.” Jack and Danny hoped up at her words. Sutton opened the closet door where she and Henley had stored props and other items over the years. A soccer ball rolled between Sutton and the boys.

Jack reached down and spun the ball in his hands. “You play?” he asked Sutton.

Sutton made a small laugh. “Did. Not so much since high school.”

Jack flipped the ball through the air. “I’m sure you still got it, Reeves.”

Sutton blushed. She wasn’t quite familiar with all this attention from a guy. Danny cleared his throat, as if to remind them he was there. “Oh, here’s the mattresses,” she said, crouching down and dragging out the boxes. “Have fun blowing them up.”

The door to the room of unknown swung open. The group had their flashlights and phones ready to use. Henley stepped through first, asking the obvious question, “What is this place?”

Sutton shot her light in the direction of an old bathroom. She crinkled her nose at the sight as Merritt said, “Oh, wow. Thought my apartment was nasty.”

“Man, it’s freezing in here,” Jack shook.

Sutton snorted a laugh. “This is cold for you? Try living in Pennsylvania, the bipolar state.”

Jack chuckled as Danny shot Sutton a quick glare. She rolled her eyes for what seemed to be the umpteenth time, annoyed by the demeanor the illusionist put off.

“What’s that?” Henley asked as they entered a large open room.

“I don’t know,” Danny replied as he moved closer to the piece of paper set nicely on the ground. It was obviously meant for them.

“What’s it say?” Merritt asked as he begun to follow Sutton’s movements of traveling the room.

“’Now you don’t.’”

“’A rose by any other name…’” Henley quoted as she picked up the flower, making Sutton cringe.

“I hate Shakespeare,” she whispered as she watched her cousin place the white rose in the vase.

Suddenly, water began to flow from the bottom of the vase, as if the delicate flower had protruded through. “Guys, what’s happening?” Jack questioned them.

Sutton and Merritt ‘woah’ed silently as they watched in amazement. Someone said, “Look at that,” but Sutton was too consumed in the flowing water to take notice who. As the water filled the strange symbol on the wooden floor, it lowered and a cloudy substance emerged.

“It’s gas!” Jack exclaimed.

Merritt rolled his eyes. “Relax. Just dry ice.”

“Cool,” the Reeves girls admired, smiling at each other.

“Wait, what do you think this is all about?” Danny threw the question into the air, and Merritt was the first to grab hold.

“Hang on. Hang on,” he pleaded, pretended to think deeply. He closed his eyes as Danny stared. “I got nothin’.” Sutton giggled at the mentalist’s joke.

Danny glared at her once more. “Okay, thank you. Thank you for the delay.”

“I’m just trying to create the space for wisdom.”

“Danny, be honest. Did you do this?” Henley asked, walking through the dry ice.

“No,” he admitted. “Wait, did you?”

“Wha- I wish,” Jack smiled innocently.

“Why didn’t anyone ask me if I did it?” Merritt asked. Everyone seemed to ignore the question.

“No one appreciates our talent,” Sutton whispered, patting the elder man on the back.

“Oh, great.”

Sutton noticed Danny flipping a light switch, so she walked over to him. “Electricity out?” she asked, just loud enough for him to hear. He nodded and shot his flashlight over toward a door.

“Electricity’s out,” Jack confirmed loudly. Sutton heard Danny chuckle, causing her to smile.

“Well, let’s check.” Merritt turned a light bulb belonging to a small chandelier. With it lit, a murmur sounded and a bright light shot between Sutton and Danny from the door.

“Blueprints,” the Reeves girls said in unison, walking closer to the design.

“They’re incredible,” Danny stated, sneaking up behind Sutton.

“Who do you think did this?” Jack questioned.

“I don’t know, but I really want to meet them,” Sutton admitted, mesmerized by the blue sight before her.

“It’s a show,” added Henley.

Danny touched the symbol that resembled the one on the ground moments before. It made a dinging sound, and more details were revealed to the group.

“What do you think this means?” Sutton asked, taking a seat on the ground by Danny’s feet. She folded her legs as Danny watched her, but he quickly turned his attention back to the blueprints when Sutton looked up.

“I think whoever did this wants us to become a team,” Jack figured.

“Oh, no!” Merritt shouted. “Do not tell me I’m going to need to spend more time with you people.”

“Wow, Merritt,” Henley scoffed, “how sweet of you to say.”

“Oh, not you girls!” Merritt exclaimed, shaking his hands out in front of him. “I meant Mr. Control Freak over there.” He pointed to Danny who had just crouched down next to Sutton, staring up at the plans. “Oh, and Jacky over there can be the butler!” Jack made a face at Merritt’s words.

“Oh, but I really want to spend more time with you,” Danny sarcastically responded, stroking his chin as he returned to contemplating the plans. Sutton snorted a giggle and Danny gave her a side smile as he looked her up and down.

“Look, if we are going to go through with this, we will need to spend a lot of time together,” Henley concluded. “So, who has a place?”

Everyone looked toward one another, but Sutton stated, “Our’s is big enough, Hen.”

Henley sighed. “I guess it will work, so long as you three respect a girl’s privacy!”

“Cross my heart,” Merritt said as he traced an ‘X’ on his chest.

“Just give me a roof over my head and I’ll be happy,” Jack smiled thankfully.

~~

The newly formed team traveled by taxi to the Reeves girls’ current residence. As soon as the boys entered, they dropped their belongings on the floor, mouths agape. Merritt took no time in claiming the couch, his fedora covering his eyes as if on cue.

“Holy shit,” Jack gasped, making a beeline for the kitchen and flinging open the refrigerator door. “Sorry, this is rude, but can I have this sandwich?”

“Go for it, Wilder,” Sutton giggled. “It’s a turkey flatbread with caramelized onions.”

Jack took a bite, his eyes rolling to the back of his head. “This is amazing.”

“It’s supposed to be eaten warm,” Henley pointed out. “Sutton makes the best food.”

“You cook?” Danny asked, raising an eyebrow at Sutton as she maneuvered into the living room area, sitting on the arm chair to remove her booties.

“Yep.”

“Nice,” Danny responded. “Good for you to, you know, keep up the traditional female role.”

“Ouch,” Merritt commented, removing his fedora from his eyes. A twinkle in his blue eyes showed his interest in a fight between the two.

“Listen, Atlas,” Sutton stated with a sigh, “if you want to be the typical male who thinks women should still be “popping out babies and baking pies,” that’s fine.” She took a glance at Merritt who sighed with disappointment, for he knew there would be no fight. “However, if you want to live under my roof, you should rethink that.”

Danny stared at her in disbelief. Jack smiled and mouthed, “Wow” as Henley smirked at her cousin’s composure.

“I-I-I,” Danny stuttered, a slight blush creeping into his cheeks. Sutton smirked, proud of herself.

“It’s okay, Danny,” Henley stated, patting him on the shoulder, “when you have a heart like Sutton, you don’t need to hear an apology. It’s written all over your blushing face.”

Danny brushed off Henley’s touch quickly. “I-I am not blushing,” he retorted, dramatically moving across the room to set his belongs down.

Sutton laughed at Danny’s recent shook up and continued onto her room to change.

“We are so going to be late,” Sutton nervously spoke, biting on a hang nail. It was March 29, and currently 4:15 pm. They were 29 minutes ahead of schedule.

 “Relax,” Henley said, hailing a taxi. When the car pulled up, she opened the door for Sutton, and told the driver, “45 East Evan Street,” as she handed him a five dollar bill.

 As soon as Henley had slammed the door shut, Sutton realized what she was doing and quickly put the window down. “Where are you going?”

 “Going to get coffee,” Henley explained. “You’re getting on my nerves.”

 “Get me a hot chocolate!” she yelled as her taxi went one way, her cousin the other.

 Sutton sighed. Henley would ditch her when they were only five minutes away. After all, it wasn’t Sutton’s fault she grew up being on time for every little thing.

 “What are you heading to 45 East Evan Street for?” the taxi driver asked.

 Sutton smiled kindly at the man. “It’s a meeting.” The driver nodded, not wanting to intrude.

 As the taxi came to a halt outside an older looking building, Sutton told the driver to keep the change. He thanked her, reminding her to have a nice day. He pulled the yellow vehicle back into traffic slowly once Sutton was safely on the sidewalk.

 “Wow,” she whispered, staring up at the great building before her. Back home, these structures were not common. The wind whipped her hair around her face. Brushing the red strands away, Sutton wrapped her arms around her waist tightly, in hopes of holding her body heat in.

 Sutton contemplated waiting for Henley, but decided against it. After all, she had been ditched by her cousin. She made the short trip up the stairs, but was stopped dead in her tracks.

 “Oh-Kay,” the man said, staring intently at her, “so, apparently neither of us was the first one chosen.” Sutton giggled slightly as the man looked at the ground. “Let me be the first one to kick my ego to the curb.”

 The man appeared to be in his late 40s. A black fedora sat atop his head. Even though he wasn’t fancily dressed, Sutton felt well underdressed in her shredded blue skinny jeans, North Carolina Tar Heels sweatshirt, and Under Armour camo hat. The only “dressy” item on her body was the brown heeled lace up booties she loved.

 “Are you-?”

 “Wait, you know me?” the man asked, placing his hand over his chest in shock.

 “Yeah, of course!” Sutton exclaimed. “You’re Merritt McKinney. I watched all of your acts. You’re the reason I started practicing mentalism.”

 Merritt flushed red slightly at the base of his neck. “Well, I don’t want to pick my ego back up again, but what the he-“

 “I think you know exactly what I’ve been up to, Danny. I saw all your anonymous postings on my website.”

 “You have a website? That’s good, good for you. Get the word out.”

 Sutton stood with her arms crossed over her chest beside the door knob as Henley and her new friend rounded the top of the stairs. Henley stared at her, eyes widening as she came to a stop. Her friend repeated her motions.

 “Oh,” they said in unison.

 “Wow, this really is an ego kicker, huh?” Merritt joked as the pair began walking again.

 “Yeah, excuse me,” the young man with Henley said.

 “Door’s locked,” Merritt told him.

 “Is it? I’ll check,” he replied, coming closer to Sutton. He smirked slightly at her and jiggled the knob. Sutton watched as he moved his hand over the frame of the door, trying to find a way in.

 “You,” Merritt announced, Sutton’s attention drawing to him. “Now, hold it, don’t tell me. Uh, Helen? No, no. Henley.”

 “It’s on your coffee cup,” the younger man replied matter-of-factly. Henley held her coffee cup up, smiling.

 “Thanks for keeping me honest,” the mentalist smiled at him. “That wasn’t mentalism, by the way. It was just an observation. Second observation, you are beautiful.”

 Sutton rolled her eyes as Henley thanked the stranger, as if she hadn’t heard it so many times before.

 “Oh, Sut,” Henley blurted, as if remember I was there. “Here’s your hot chocolate. I even got you extra whipped cream.” Sutton smiled lightly as she thanked her cousin.

 The young man looked at Henley, then at Sutton, and back at Henley once more. “Wait, you know her?” he asked Henley.

 “Yes, Danny,” Henley rolled her eyes. She walked over to stand next to Sutton. “This is my cousin Sutton, the other “Reeves Girl,” jackass.”

 He stared at the two girls before him. He looked Sutton up and down, noticing the only trait linking her to Henley was her hair color. His eyes settled on Sutton before saying, “You look different when you perform.”

 It was Sutton’s turn to roll her eyes. “It’s my day off, jackass. I wear my glasses when I don’t need to be on stage.”

 Henley giggled as the young man threw a comeback. “Well, I can certainly tell you don’t care about your appearance when you’re not performing.”

 Sutton’s mouth flew open and Henley smacked him. “Sorry not all girls dress to your standards, control freak,” Sutton mumbled.

 “I was going to call him out on being a control freak!” Merritt laughed, coming back into the conversation.

 “I’m sorry, have I met either of you before?” Danny asked.

 “It doesn’t take a mentalist, or two, to figure that out,” Henley stated. “You are a control freak.”

 “Well, I take that as a compliment.”

 “Only he would take it as a compliment.”

 “Good, another compliment.”

 “So, that’s why they’re no longer a couple?” Merritt asked me. Sutton’s eyes grew wide.

 “No!” Henley yelled, not wanting Sutton to get the wrong idea. “We were never a couple. He used to saw me in half.”

 “She was a very good assistant.”

 “Yeah, but I was too fat for Danny.”

 “Uh, no. I said that one time because of the-the trap door.”

 “No one could fit through there. No one.”

 “Rebecca fit through. Rebecca fit for years. Hell, your cousin certainly could,” Danny stated, gesturing toward Sutton. He winked at her as she tried to formulate a sentence.

 “Okay,” Merritt rescued her, “so he never made you feel special, and trust me you deserve to be made to feel special.”

 Sutton almost threw up her lunch at that comment.

 “That’s a really nice story,” Danny said. “Hope you guys enjoy each other’s company,” he whispered under his breath, turning away from the couple and toward Sutton. He raised an eyebrow at her as he noticed their closeness.

 “No way,” a male’s voice arose. Sutton looked at him, his Adam’s apple bobbing in his throat. She felt her knees go slightly weak. “J. Daniel Atlas. Dude, I’ve seen everything that you have ever done. I mean, you’re like- I-I idolize you, seriously.”

 “From a true fan,” Danny replied, shaking the younger man’s hand. “No, it’s so nice to meet you.”

 “I’m Jack, by the way,” he smiled, then turned his attention toward Sutton. Before they had the time to introduce themselves, Merritt interrupted them.

“So, this is all nice and everything, but did you get one of these?”

 “Yeah, yeah,” Jack said, rummaging in his pocket. “Death.”

 “The High Priestess.”

 “The Tower.”

 “The Lover.”

 Henley coughed, “Three minutes.” Sutton chuckled, receiving a glare from Danny.

 “Hermit.”

 “So, uh, what are we- are we waiting for someone? Why are we just-“

 “The door’s locked,” they all replied to a stuttering Jack.

 “Oh, no. Nothing, nothing’s ever locked,” Jack stated. They all gave each other a look as he took out a bobby pin and jimmied it in the keyhole.