#tmevent1

Daniel was thrilled. To be back performing, it was the best feeling in the world. He stood in front of the crowd. A mixture of people from all walks of life. The best magicians in New York were here tonight, watching him. So were the worst. Daniel hoped they learnt something tonight. The FBI stood among the crowd trying to act natural. Idiots. And tonight Daniel would perform for them all. He grinned confidently and ran his hand though his hair. He missed the performanes. Tonight was his night

Daniel stept forward and swept his arms wide. “Goodevening New York, ladies, gentelemen, boys, girls” he paused “FBI agents” he added grinning while giving a small wave to a group standing in the front row. “My names Daniel and tonight im hoping to do something that will be new, shocking, amazing but most importantly… Magical. So without further ado may I have four volunteers?

Hands shot up around the room. First, Daniel picked a younger blonde woman who was giggling with her friend. He then picked a middle aged man who was wearing a horrible fur lined coat. He looked like Hagrid from Harry Potter. Daniel bought his volunteers up to the stage and shook their hands, grinning. “Well I must admit that wasnt particularly random choosing soo im going to let you two” he gestured to volunteers “choose my next assisstants.

Predictably, actually just had he planned, the blonde girl grinned and screamed in a high pitch voice “Katie! get up here” Daniel rolled his eyes and clucked his tongue. He hated screaming girls. “not exactly that I had in mind but I guess Katie can ‘get up here’” The blonde girl squealed again and he shuddered slightly. “okay one assistant to go. Sir, if you could choose three numbers between one and one hundred. Add them together. Done that? Good. Now that number use it to correspond to a table number. Or the closest table number to the number you chose. Okay on that table choose one person. Now walk to that person and bring them here.” Daniel gave him a nod and the man walked off. He walked to a table and took the hand of a stunning young woman. Again, predictable this was too easy. The girl reluctantly joined Daniel on stage and he clapped his hands smiling enderingly to his four assistants. “so who do I have with me?” “Grace” piped up the blonde girl and my friend “Katie” inturrepted Daniel.. “We know” the crowd gave a small laugh. “And you” Daniel said motioning to the fur lined jacket guy. “Mason” he replied. “Lovely” exclaimed Daniel. And finally, the woman so far out of Mason’s league? “Sasha” she said laughing and Daniel smiled back warmly. So we have four helpers tonight, Sasha, Katie, Grace and Mason. And dont I have a show for you tonight.

"Okay. If none of you noticed, there is a giant gold platter in the middle of the stage and inside it is nothing. He opened it up to show them all. We will come back to that later. I need the help from an assistant. Katie. You first. I want you to choose your  three least favourite people in the world and write their names on three different pieces of paper and seal them in these envelopes. The hand the envelopes to any three people. After Katie did that he turned to Grace. Write down the names of your three favourite animals and sign underneath. Now look at these cards in this deck and picture the names written on them." He closed the deck. "Picturing those cards? Yes? Good. Alright keep picturing them for a moment. Mason. Remember your three numbers? Good. Walk to the  tables that match your numbers and open the wine bottles on them. Pour the wine into the cups. Wait! Mason, before you pour can you confirm the bottles were closed? Yes. Alright excellent. Pour!" As Mason poured, a small slip of laminated paper fell into a cup. Mason picked it up. "Its a card!" he exclaimed "A nine of hearts. On it there reads ‘lion’." Grace gasped. "Thats what I wrote down and then pictured on the exact same card! Keep pouring Mason!" yelled Daniel and he did. Another piece of paper fell out. The word lion with Grace’s signature beneath it. "Why dont you check the pocket you hid that signed paper with the name of your favourite animal written on it Grace?" Grace did. "Its gone!" She exclaimed and the crowd burst into applause, muttering and whispering among themselves. "Yes yes thankyou, said Daniel, shushing the crowd. "But im not done yet. Mason check the others." He did and each time everything was perfect. Cat-king of spades was next followed by whale-ace of diamonds. Grace stood in awe and Daniel grinned. "Ah but were still not done yet. Grace and Mason, take the card, any of those cards and sign your names on it. Good. Now place it on this table." Alright. A round of applause for my assistants."

"Alright Sasha your turn. Whats your birthday day, month and year?" "10th of Septemper 1989." "Wonderful! "Now you over there, I believe you recieved an envelope from Katie? Yes. Now tell me do you have any kids? A girl who was born in 1989? Wow the same year as Sasha. Extraordinary. And whats her name? Cody? Lovely name. Alright why dont you open that envelope?" the lady did and she gasped. "it says Cody" Daniel smiled. "Alright next envelope." he smiled at a young boy clutching one to his chest. "how old are you" he asked the boy kindly. "Ten" he said, trying to sound confident. "so you’re ten, and Sasha here was born on the tenth? Interesting. Whats your name? Raif" replied the boy. "Well hello Raif. Lets open up that envelope. The boy ripped it open enthusiastically. "It says Raif" he yelled excited and grinned. "How did you know" Daniel just winked and turned to the final envelope bearer. She was old and feeble but had a stern, confident air about her. "Im afraid I have nothing in common with any of Sasha’s numbers" she said cackling. "sorry magic man" "How wrong you are" said Daniel sadly. I believe your husband has passed away. In fact. It was on the 10th of September, 1989. It was premature. Tears burst into the old ladies eyes. "Yes, his name was Peter." sobbed the lady "open the envelope" Daniel asked quietely. The lady opened it up. "Peter." she whispered. Daniel smiled and wheeled around as the crowd started applauding.

"Alright remember that gold platter everyone? Im going to open it now. There was nothing in it correct? Well lets see." Daniel opened the platter with Katie, Grace, Sasha and Mason watching him closely. Daniel opened the lid and a small scream went around the room as a cat jumped from the platter. Around its neck was a card. A nine of hearts with Malcom and Grace’s signature as well as the word cat. Sasha picked up the cat, removing the card and handing it to Malcom. She then read the tag on its neck. Ella Peter John. "The cats called Cody Peter Raif" she said laughing. "its registration is 37 9 78" "Those are the three numbers I chose when I had to choose the last assistant" Piped up Mason.

"So hidden inside the closed platter was three significant things. Did anyone see me put them there or see them hidden inside? Did I preplan this? Thats for you to decide. Lets just say. Everything was random I knew nothing."

The crowd started to mutter in agreement and suddenly Mason piped up. “Amazing!” and the mood of the crowd changed everyone started cheering and shouting clapping loudly. “I am J. Daniel Atlas member of the four horsemen Thankyou and goodnight”

Oh things had certainly turned around for the worse and this was something event Angel couldn't ignore in her hazy state and alcohol stench breath. No, Angel was left scrambling through the crowd, tripping, bumping into, fighting through the blurry figures with one objective in mind. Isaac. She couldn't leave him. No, without her he would surly become a victim the the fiery tongues. "Isaac!" Angel called out. "Isaac I'm gonna find you!" 

Confusion. It was everything that Alex was perceiving in those few moments. One minute, there were the Four Horsemen, back again on stage - even Jack Wilder, back from the dead. She could have felt her ex colleagues starting to stir and chat in commotion, deciding what to do. But then everything was red, and flaming; everyone was running... "Fire!", somebody had yelled.

To her, it was like time had stopped, at first. People bumping into her, chaos... Alex came back to reality when she noticed the ceiling: a rafter, flooded by flames was about to sag. "Move out!" she yelled, while running to no one in particular, alerting all the people who were just under it. She lost her heels, in the run, and almost tripped. The people under the raft found quickly the exit, except for one of them, an old man who stood still for the shock. Aren't you too old for this kind of parties, sir? she wondered. She ran towards him and pulled him away from the radius of fall of the rafter just in time, just before it fell on the ground. No one seemed to get hurt, except for her dress, who was bursting into fire.

In a few quick movements, Alex ripped off her tail, so the flames couldn't damage any other part of the cloth and make her become a human torch. Fortunately, most of the people were out, at that point, and the smoke was too oppressive. That was the time to head out.

Premise: it didn't come out as I wished (specially if you think this para is translated). Plus, the trick you're going to read about has been really made - partly - by a mentalist. Have a good reading. -Sara

From the up one of the stare cases it didn't take long for the fire to spread. Towering flames caught everything in sight, banners, tables, tumbling through the crowd quickly and showing no mercy to whatever victims it might take in its deadly grasp. People screamed, scrambled to get out of the building. It was mass chaos. 

Run. Run as fast as you can. Get out of there now! Or will you become another victim of the inferno now engulfing the ball?

ooc note: Please take note of the fire in all upcoming starters about the ball and any current posts you might have.

Some quick rules: 

Your character may suffer from some mild injuries (broken bones, mild burns, cuts, scrapes ect.) However nothing life threatening.

Your character must get out of the building. You can't say that they were trapped and suffered a terribly untimely death.

All new starters about the ball must include the current events taking place.

It was very rare for Jack to be nervous before a show. Yes, when he first joined the Horsemen he practically had mini breakdowns before all the shows, but that had been so long ago. One would think he’d be accustomed to such performances however there was a familiar knot in his stomach as he waited in the shadows behind the stage he would “magically” appear onto, on queue. This was big though. It was more than just another card trick or illusion. No, this was Jack’s resurrection.

The booming voice echoed through the room and he felt his heart lurch. Thoughts rushed through his mind, filling every part in a large confusing jumble. He began shuffling the deck of cards nervously to keep his shaking hands at ease. Jack’s hands never shook. They were always steady, smooth, like they needed to be during his sleight tricks. Now, however he didn’t know if he could go on.

He thought of Devin in the audience, probably pissed beyond beliefe at his untimely absence. Wouldn’t she be surprised. That part made him smile, but hearing Henley’s queue made him feel weazy again. It was his time to shine. His rebirth into the spotlight.

 "AND BACK FROM THE DEAD. THE SLEIGHT."

The spotlight almost blinded him and he squinted through the mask at the mass crowd. The moment he was up there, however all thoughts of apprehension and nerves slipped away. Jack was home. A small smirk couldn’t help but turn up the corners of his lips, and once he had torn the mask from his face let out a loud laugh as the crowd cheered. Jack was back!

Right away he began performing the shuffling tricks with the deck of cards for those close enough to see. The cards flipped through his hands so naturally, it was almost artistic the way he could shuffle the deck. The Horsemen had a much bigger trick planned later on and they would eventually get to perform again but right now he could show off his own individual abilities. That was something he couldn’t do for a crowd in a long long time.

However right as Jack was going to start throwing cards into the audience the cheers began to transform into screams and not the normal ones at a show but ones that were fearful and frantic. Furrowing his brow Jack looked up to seeing large tongues of fire beginning to spread from the stair case into the main dance hall. His eyes widened and the only thing he could think of as the flames began to engulf its surroundings was Devin.

“FIRE!” Jack shouted the obvious and hopped down from the stage, abandoning the cards and pushing his way through the crowd. “Devin!” he shouted through the panic. “Devin!”

It all happened at once. The music died down. The lights dimmed. The crowd hushed. Some screamed, but overall a sense of confusion, and anticipation rushed over the crowd. What twists and turns was this night going to bring to them next? 

Then a booming voice, not appearing to come from any speaker or set point in particular but from everywhere, echoed through the hall. "LADIES AND GENTLEMEN. I PRESENT TO YOU, THE SHOWMAN-" A single spot light lit up the far right hand corner revealing a man standing on a raised platform.

"THE MENTALIST" A second spotlight from the corner diagonal lit up a second man also standing on a raised platform. 

"THE ESCAPE ARTIST" A third lit up another corner where a woman stood. 

"AND BACK FROM THE DEAD. THE SLEIGHT." The fourth and final corner lit up where another young man stood.

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN. THE FOUR HORSEMEN!" 

The crowd erupted with life and the four members revealed themselves from underneath their masks. Little did any of them know the fiery inferno that was now spreading its way down one of the staircases.