First she was barely a few inches above the ground, and then a whole feet, then two, then three...until she was at least six feet in the air, levitating gracefully like a visiting cherub. The kids could not contain their excitement. Some screamed till tears came out of their eyes. Some bounced up and down in excitement, stretching out their hands to her, and shouting that she was an angel.
It was a pretty solid show.
Angelia and her assistants were apparently leveraging the fact that her name was angela, and that she looked like an angel/fairy. It was their brand. And they milked it thoroughly. The poor kids were so livid with happiness, that they did not want that bit to end. Angelia had successfully shown them that their greatest desire was attainable, and they were all but eager to go home and try to levitate above the ground.
Alex watched the whole thing closely with the same keen interest of a kid. He had to admit it; Angelia and her team were pretty good. They had actually succeeded at creating an awe-inspiring atmosphere. Not only that, they had also played on the audience's emotions perfectly, impressing both parents and children. With such a mind blowing performance, they knew they got their money's worth.
Everyone cheered- except Alex who remained calm.
This Angelia lady was a real star. Somehow, she had managed to perform a floating trick without the aid of any kind of contraption or assistance from invisible wires. That particular bit had evoked a lot of applause from the audience. But that act had served as a confirmation to what Alex already suspected; Angelia was a real mage.
Waving at the audience, the floating girl smiled beautifully as she descended back to earth like the mythical phoenix. Angelia might have appeared to have the body of a child, and face of a fairy princess, but her knowing eyes told a different story entirely. They were devoid of innocence, they were replete with knowledge, and tainted with an understanding that she simply could not hide.
Alex leaned forward in his chair and watched her carefully as he passed judgment.
From everything he had seen, Angelia was a B ranking woman. She was definitely top tier material. And what made her potentially dangerous was the fact that, unlike Scarlett, she had apparently tapped into her potential over the years, made considerable progress in her development. This entire show was proof of that.
Alex's mind did not have time to further delve into any more matters.
Nature decided to interrupt, and in the most provocative way. The low grumbling in the skies overhead came suddenly. And the otherwise blue sky turned grey. It all happened in an instant, not giving anyone enough time to prepare. The showers came in big drops, scuttling what was no doubt the perfect event.
The audience began to grumble instantly, as they stiffled their happiness.
That was when an idea struck Alex. The rains were upon them. While this was a nuissance to everyone else, Alex saw this as a golden opportunity. In fact, the rain could not have come at a better time, now was his time to act.
So, before everyone could disperse, he casually made his way to the front, and boldly stepped on the stage. Angelia and the others thought he was one of the parents who wanted to tell them to disperse or something. But much to their greatest surprise, he completely ignored them, and instead, addressed the crowd that was already getting ready to avoid the showers from above.
"EVERYONE!!! IF I COULD PLEASE HAVE YOUR ATTENTION!! THIS IS PART OF THE SHOW!!"
His last words took the audience by storm. They looked at the stranger in dark clothes, then at each other, then finally at him again. Had they heard right?
"YES! Angelia has prepared this specially for you!! So sit back and relax!!"
Instinctively, all the assistants turned towards their patron with questioning looks on their faces. Had she truly managed to pull off a rain stunt without them?
But no one was more surprised in that moment than Angelia. First, she was definitely not in on whatever this was, secondly, who the hell was this dude?? Why was he doing this? She was about to gather up her nerve to go and embarass the stranger, before Alex did the unthinkable.
In the first few seconds that followed, an icy chill sweeped through the open space. It felt like someone had suddenly cranked up the air conditioner or something. Everyone felt it. But for a select few, it was a whole different feeling altogether. Those that ranked high on the potential spectrum felt the surge of power that was to come. It was like being in a jacuzzi, and sensing the boiling heat of the waters rise over the normal level.
They could not explain it, but the awe that had enveloped the entire audience was palpable. Not even Angelia was spared this feeling.
Suddenly, right before everyone's eyes, the rain drops suddenly ceased!
It did not stop falling, it just suddenly stopped! Suspended in mid air like a scene from a 3D movie, everyone watched aghast as great beads of water hung in the air around them. It was as though time had stopped, leaving everyone in a magical moment.
Truly, it was a spectacular sight. The entire scene was wrapped in what seemed like a crystal ball with surreal ambience.
The gasps began to come. As both the kids and their parents looked around wildly at the dreamlike scene- the audience erupted into a frenzied excitement. Kids jumped up and down wildy, clapping their hands enthusiastically as their eyes danced in wonder. Parents as well were taken aback. They could not believe their eyes. Their rational minds could at least try to explain a human being floating mid air.
But raindrops suspended in mid air was not something that anyone would have ever imagined, talk less of seeing. It was unheard off. It was above and beyond. It was simply insane! Angelia had truly outdone herself!! Indeed!!
It was funny how every single mind was glorifying Angelia at that moment. And yet, in an odd twist of fate, the recipient was, (more than anyone else) more in that dark about what was truly going on. It was order from chaos. Angelia was baffled. It was maddenning to even try to figure out the physics behind it all. Unless of course, this was beyond physics, for this went against all the laws that guided the earth.
The audience fully accepted the show with glee, even some of her assistants. But Angelia was the only one with questions;
"WHAT IS THIS???" she screamed inwardly.
But even herself had no answers to this.
Everyone was too occupied with the show to even try to contemplate the mystery behind it. All except one of course.
Angelia was not easily fooled. She herself was in the business of fooling people, so, seeing past the showmanship came with the job description. She peered closely at the raindrops hanging in the air. In all her years of experience, never had she heard about any magician pulling off something like this. It was literally impossible. Clearly, that this was nothing related to some high-tech phenomenon.
This was real. It was very real.
Only a few minutes ago, it had been a warm cloudless morning. And now, not only had the weather suddenly become a grey blanket of humidity, the raindrops themselves had been suspended in thin air!! The people around her might have been a gullible bunch, but Angelia was not. This was advanced magic. No one could tell her otherwise.
Alex kept the crowd enthralled for sixty whole seconds before finally releasing the rain.
The audience, clearly enamored by the extraordinary showmanship, showered Angelia's name with lavish praises, and peals of resounding applause. Being the sensitive one, Alex decided to step off the stage and give room for Angelia to claim her place as the real star of the show.
She had questions.
Oh she had so many questions. But she had to put aside her own misgivings about this stranger and take herself in the spotlight where she belonged. With a mask of gratitude, she rose to the occasion and took the glory. She smiled at the crowd that was filled with satisfied viewers beaming with happiness. As if on cue, a whirl of cold air, resembling a small scale tornado, swept through the venue, taking away the rain with it.