Trance Read online

  They nodded in unison. “Yeah, from over the lake.”

  “Cool,” said Lacey.

  I wondered if this was the most pathetic conversation in existence.

  “Cool,” they said in response.

  Yep, I was sure of it now.

  “So what do you do?” asked Lacey. “You know. For a job?”

  “Yeah, well, during the week we have office jobs, but on the weekend, we’ve got this band. We play at a few places. Rock, mainly.”

  “A rock band.” Lacey’s eyes lit up. “Scarlett’s in entertainment, too.”

  “Oh, yeah?” said Pete. “Do you play?”

  “No. I’m a magician’s assistant.”

  “Oh, right.”

  I pulled Lacey away and whispered in her ear. “Come on, let’s go. These guys are completely boring.”

  “Boring to you is normal to me. They play music. That’s got to be a little bit exciting?”

  “They are hardly Nine Inch Nails are they? They’re office geeks.”

  “What does it matter? Just let your guard down for once. I like Andy, he seems sweet. For me?”

  I exhaled. “Fine.”

  “Oh, and if you happen to wander off with Pete, leaving me and Andy alone, that would perfectly okay, too. Pretty please?”

  I rolled my eyes.

  We walked back to them and I grabbed Pete’s hand. “Let’s see who can get through the mirror maze the fastest.” I led him away and looked back over my shoulder at Lacey, who gave me a big cheesy grin.

  “Are you ready? Loser has to buy the other cotton candy.” I’d been in this mirror maze a thousand times and could make it with my eyes closed, and if I had to spend time talking to Pete, then it would be on a pink sugary high. Besides, Lacey was right, I should give him a chance. He might not be so bad if I knew him better.

  We each stood at opposite ends of the maze. I chose the left, which technically was the longer route, but it would give him a shot. Being on the right side, if he kept to the pattern, left, right, left, left, right, repeated five times, he could beat me. Not that it was likely.

  “Go,” he said, and we both took off.

  I was about to turn toward the centre so I could make it past the fake roman statues before he did, when the heel of my shoe snapped right off and I stumbled to the ground.

  I sat there, with the thin black heel in my hand, grumbling under my breath, when someone next to me reached their hand down to help me up.

  Expecting the hand to be smooth and limp, and have Pete on the end of it, I reached up.

  Instead, it turned out to be strong and firm. Much stronger than Pete’s, and I lifted my head to see deep piercing blue eyes fixed on me.

  “Heel’s aren’t the best footwear for maze racing,” he said. His voice was silky and confident.

  “But they’re great for chorus line kicks.” I allowed myself to be pulled to my feet, cringing at my lame retort. And of course he was gorgeous. The world made sure I always said something stupid or nutty when a hot guy stood in front of me.

  He smiled. A wide infectious grin that could charm any woman, and he knew it. His dark hair, shoulder length but neat, framing those eyes that continued to look deep inside of me. When I was standing, he pulled me closer still, our bodies almost touching, our hands still entwined.

  Everything seemed to be happening in slow motion. I gulped and bit my lip, shaking away the crazy way I was reacting. He just helped me to my feet for goodness sakes.

  “Thank you for your chivalry,” I said cringing again at my choice of words.

  He let go of my hand, and immediately I wanted to grab it back, but I resisted. I was sure he could read my every thought because he bowed low. “Anything to help a damsel in distress.”

  He was playing along, this could be fun. It was my turn to smile. “Then you must be the prince of the mirrors, ready to avenge anyone of their problems in this reflective land of yours. It seems to be a very important job. How does one apply for such a prestigious position?”

  “Who said I applied? Perhaps with my skills I was able to take it by force from the rogue who previously held the position. It was for the best. I was able to restore peace and harmony to all that cross the maze. As you have now seen with your own eyes.”

  “Indeed.”

  “But alas, I cannot help you with your other problem.”

  “And that would be?”

  “You have lost that bet of yours by now. You’ll be out of pocket two cotton candies by my calculation.”

  Oh god, Pete. He’d already be out on the other side by now.

  “Of course,” the stranger said, “If he can’t find you, you won’t be forced to pay up. You could go AWOL.”

  I nodded. “Trickery! Are you sure that you aren’t the rogue of the mirrors after all, and not the prince?”

  He held his hands up, palms out. “You’ve found me out. The gig is up. I’ll be forced back into exile if anyone finds out.”

  “Oh dear. We can’t have that.”

  “What do you suggest?”

  “Perhaps we could escape. That way we could avoid both our dreary fates.”

  “An excellent suggestion. We’ll sneak back to the entrance and make a run for it.”

  “Except my friend, Lacey, would see me and wonder where my date had gone.”

  “Your date? I thought you just met him?”

  “Yes, I did, so of course it’s not a date. But…wait, how did you know he wasn’t my date?”

  “Because you are here with me, instead of chasing after him.”

  “Ooookaaay.”

  “Such a sceptic.”

  I grinned. “By the way, my name is…”

  Before I could finish my sentence he placed is finger to his lips, hushing me. “I already know who you are.”

  “You do? How?”

  “The granddaughter of the famous Thomas Tinks. Who wouldn’t know who you are, Scarlett Tinks?”

  I grinned. “Most people my age don’t know who I am. Nope, make that ALL people my age. Although I’m big in the sixty year old set.”

  “I can imagine.”

  “So you know who I am, who are you?”

  “Haven’t we already established that? I’m the rogue of the mirror maze.”

  “Even rogue’s such as yourself have names.”

  “Perhaps it was stolen. If hearts can be stolen, perhaps names can too. No wait, that sounds too cheesy, doesn’t it?”

  “A little bit. So mystery man, I’ll just call you Rogue then, shall I?”

  “If you like.”

  I looked him up and down, pausing over his slightly too tight white t-shirt and the way it clung to his stomach. “Nothing better comes to mind.”

  “Then Rogue it is. For now.”

  “For now? Are you planning on following me out of here so we can meet up again, perhaps in the Tunnel of Terror?”

  “Certainly not. I could never set foot in such a place. Nope, it seems I’m destined to haunt these halls alone.”

  “One can never be truly alone in a mirror maze. One turn and there are a hundred other you’s staring back.”

  “True. Although that isn’t all bad. I can see you from every angle right now. Your image is permanently etched into my memory.”

  “Until the next damsel in distress breaks a heel.”

  He looked down at my foot. “A bit of glue should hold it together. You want me to get some?”

  “You have supplies in here, too?”

  He chuckled. “Not exactly. It would mean going back into the real world, which I need to do soon anyway.”

  “Ditching me. Ah well, it’s to be expected. I could never stay here in such a reflective place forever.”

  “You could come with me. We could leave together.”

  “But what of your destiny? Wouldn’t your reign here end?”

  “I could risk becoming a mere mortal again, if you’d accompany me out. Our next adventure would be finding glue, for your shoe.”

&
nbsp; “A poet!”

  “And a cobbler, if I succeed in re-shoeing you. I’m a man of many talents.”

  “So it seems. But in any case, I’ve left Lacey alone for too long. Friend’s code is to never leave each other for more than fifteen minutes unless otherwise arranged.”

  “Can I see you again?”

  “Every time you close your eyes, since you said I’m now etched in your memory.”

  “So now it’s me, being ditched.”

  “Such is the fate of a mirror maze rogue who refuses to tell me his name.”

  “I didn’t refuse.”

  “You just didn’t tell me.”

  “Correct. It’s not the same.”

  I could see Pete’s reflection coming toward us. He had doubled backed through the maze looking for me. The mystery man followed my gaze.

  “It looks like your date is searching for you.”

  “Didn’t we already establish that he wasn’t my date? Being that I met him, like, ten minutes ago?”

  “Nevertheless, he’s hunting you down and likely to spot you at any moment.” He held out his hand. “We could still escape.”

  I hesitated. Every cell of me wanted to reach out and take his hand in mine, and get out of here. But I knew nothing about him. I didn’t even know his name.

  “Hey, there you are,” said Pete. He looked nervously between the two of us.

  “Yeah, sorry. My shoe broke.”

  “Uhuh.” He put his hands in his pockets and shuffled his feet.

  The stranger took my hand and lifted it to his lips, placing a single kiss on the back of my fingers. “It was lovely meeting you, Scarlett Tinks. I hope it happens again, soon.”

  I smiled as he winked at me. My heart was beating against my chest in a way that hadn’t happened before. At least not without lots of running.

  He turned and left Pete and I alone inside the mirror maze, staring after him.

  THREE

  “Who was he?” asked Lacey.

  We had left Pete and Andy in the mirror maze, but not before she had exchanged phone numbers with Andy first. Pete didn’t ask for my phone number which I was glad about. I’m guessing our non-attraction was mutual.

  “That’s the thing, I don’t know. He just appeared out of nowhere, and helped me up off the floor. By the way, these shoes you made me wear suck.”

  “Of course they don’t, they just helped you meet someone you actually might consider dating, didn’t they? That alone means they are the best shoes I own.” She held the heel of the shoe in her hand and inspected it as I limped awkwardly beside her. “From now on, they’ll be my lucky pick-up shoes. You met a guy, and I met someone, too. Two for two. Yep, lucky shoes. Once I fix this heel, I’m wearing them next time. I might meet someone better.”

  “They’re all yours. So Andy isn’t your true love after all?” The gravel on the ground crunched under the broken shoe and I had to concentrate on where I stepped, so I didn’t twist my foot or sprain an ankle.

  “I guess he was a bit on the boring side.”

  “Told you.”

  “I’ll give him a chance though. He might be like these shoes and surprise you when you least expect it. Maybe he was just shy. Shyness can give a bad first impression you know.”

  “I don’t see you ending up with a shy guy.”

  “Oooh, he could be my next project. I could make him over, dress him up, make him really cool. The kind of man women would fall over themselves to date.”

  “Sure. Because all guys love a good make-over.”

  She grinned. “Okay. Maybe that was a bad idea. But I’m going to give him a chance anyway. He was cute enough.”

  I held my hand to my ear. “What’s that? Is that a romantic soundtrack I hear? The one that starts in every movie as the hero and heroine declare their love by saying ‘Meh, they were cute enough I suppose’.”

  “Very funny.”

  We passed the last cotton candy stand before the end of the grounds. “It’s destiny,” I said, as I limped up to the counter. “You want one?” Lacey nodded. “Two sticks, thanks.”

  “You make your own destiny.”

  I handed her stick of pink sugary heaven over, and took a mouthful of mine, letting it disintegrate on my tongue. My taste buds went into overdrive and I groaned at the deliciousness. “Now this is true love.”

  We reached Lacey’s car and I waited for her to unlock it for me, so we could leave. “He smelled really good.”

  “Who? The guy?”

  “Of course. Who else?”

  Lacey shook her head. “You should have gotten his number then.”

  “Nope. Now I can dream about him being the perfect man. If I met him again in person, he’d only disappoint me. He’d say something stupid, or do something I hated, and the magic and mystery would be lost. It’s much better this way.”

  “You don’t know that.” We got into the car, buckled up, and she turned the key in the ignition. The car fired up on the first go, purring under our seats.

  “Of course I do. There is no man in the world that is truly perfect. I’d rather live with a fantasy, than be disappointed in reality.” I licked the last of the cotton candy from my fingers. “It’s like cotton candy - when you taste it, it’s the most delicious thing in the world. But the reality is, it’s just sugar - it’ll rot your teeth, make you fat, make you sick if you have too much. A small taste, you’re in heaven. A lot and you end up worse than before you had any at all.”

  I knew something was wrong as soon as I pulled up outside my house. I had changed back into my own clothes at Lacey’s. She had insisted that I give her the shoes immediately, hugging them to her chest like they were a secret to be kept hidden away from everyone, including me. I also gave back her gold dress and put on my not-as-flattering (but infinitely more comfortable) sack dress.

  The lights were still on inside, including the porch light. Usually when I came home at night, the only illumination was the one at the side of the house so I could enter through the back door, closest to my bedroom. My grandmother was a light sleeper, and coming in the front way meant crossing the threshold past her bedroom which inevitably woke her up. If she woke up, she had a hard time getting back to sleep.

  I stared at the house, trying to determine any movement inside. If I saw their silhouettes through the window, it simply meant they were having a late night. That wouldn’t be so abnormal once in a while? I frowned knowing it was unlikely.

  I got out of my car, closing the door quietly, locking it and walking down the side of the house to the back door.

  There was no sign of anyone in the windows. Perhaps they had simply forgotten to turn out the lights before they went to bed? Again, unlikely.

  Before I opened the door, through the glass, I could see the note waiting for me on the kitchen table, beckoning me to read it. Notes on tables never contained good news.

  I opened the door in a hurry, and picked up the paper. My hand was already shaking.

  ‘It’s not serious. Your grandfather had a fall and fractured his hip. That’s all. Nothing to worry about. The doctor’s will be able to fix it up, lickity-split. That’s why we didn’t call you, we didn’t want to ruin your night. We are at Mercy South. I’ll be home tomorrow to tell you more. Love, Rose. Kiss kiss hug hug. P.S. Really, he’ll be fine. Don’t worry! Love you.’

  Don’t worry?

  I keyed the details of the hospital into my phone to get directions, re-locked the house and returned to my car.

  How could a fractured hip, not be serious?

  I reversed out of the driveway narrowly missing the letterbox and placed my phone on voice so it could read out directions for me as I drove. The parking for the hospital was close to empty, so I got a park near the entrance. It was ten o’clock and visiting hours had finished two hours ago, but they couldn’t refuse me seeing my grandfather. If they tried, I’d cause a fuss.

  The counter nurse whispered the floor and room number making sure that I knew that I had t
o be quiet by repeating ‘sick people need their sleep’, three times. I nodded and walked over to the elevator.

  When I got to the room, my grandfather was awake and reclining up in his bed. He looked happy, they must have given him some good pain killers. My grandmother was sitting next to him, holding his hand.

  “Just got out, petal,” he said. “They were able to fix me right up. Cracked the femoral joint. Guess this old body shouldn’t be dipping your grandmother too low these days.” He grinned.

  “Are you okay, how long are you going to be here?”

  He looked across at my grandmother who answered. “A week. They need to be sure everything will heal correctly.”

  “You said it wasn’t serious.” I stood at the end of his bed not quite believing how casual they were both being about it.

  “I’m still alive and kicking aren’t I? This silly fracture isn’t going to keep me down for long. It’ll just slow me up a tad. Although it probably means I can’t do my last show. That’s a bummer. I was looking forward to it.”

  “Who cares about the last show? I want you to be well.”

  “Don’t make a fuss,” said my grandmother. “He’ll be fine. We are lucky, he doesn’t need a replacement, and we’ve got enough money to cover the costs. In a month or two, it’ll be like it never happened.”

  “And I’ll get to spend more time with your grandmother. Although…”

  “Although?”

  “I was counting on the money from the last show. It had already sold out. Don’t want to have to give all that back. Never mind, we’ll get through, we always do.”

  “You can use my money, I’ve got enough for all of us.”

  My grandmother’s expression darkened. “No. I won’t touch any of that. It’s for you.”

  “Then I’ll get a job. To help out. Until you get back and can do your last show.”

  My grandfather sighed. “Petal, you don’t have to. Go live your life. You are young, and have the world ahead of you. We are getting old.”

  “Speak for yourself,” said my grandmother, grinning.

  “Stop worrying and start living.”

  I sat down next to my grandmother nodding. I knew that I’d get a job, even if it did mean sitting in a cubicle or a behind a counter at a fast food store. I’d help them until Thomas Tinks did his last show and had enough money to set them both up in retirement. Then the town, no the world, would talk about the amazing performance from the last true magician.