Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Rule #27) I will not throw a parade in the halls of Casper High

It had been 2 days since the incident with the GIW, and the vibes at Casper High had been eerily calm. Although Danny was far from giving up his mission to be found out, he had decided that Dash and the other students of Casper High deserved a short break from ghostly pranks. However, now that the ghost children of the world were safe and Dash had (mostly) recovered, it was time to strike once more.

Danny, Sam, and Tucker had spent the whole night in Danny’s room coming up with the best welcome back prank they could think of, and with a little help from Frostbite, they were pretty sure they nailed it.

“Oh my god, all of Casper’s gonna flip their shit tomorrow”, Tucker said as he typed away on his signature PDA.

“Maybe this will be enough to bring Ishiyama out of her stupor”, Sam added from the end of Danny’s bed.

“Honestly at this point she might be more dead than I am”, Danny chuckled

“The minute all of those calls from angry parents came in, I think her perseverance to proctor ~simply evaporated~,” Sam recalled the day after the ‘All students must communicate in English while within the walls of Casper High’ debacle, “Honestly good for her for lasting that long though.”

“True. And I can’t tell if Mr. Lancer gave up on us, or if he’s just decided to pick his battles.” At that, the three teenagers fell into a fit of laughter.

“Anyway,” Danny said as he wiped the tears from his eyes, “I have to patrol tonight, so I’ll see you guys tomorrow?”

“Hell yes,” Sam and Tucker replied. And with that, the three parted ways in anticipation for what tomorrow morning would bring.

It was a glorious Monday morning, and, feeling refreshed from the weekend and the ghostly hiatus, the people of Casper High were as chipper as can be. The teachers and staff were in the middle of their weekly meeting to plan the upcoming graduation, and the students were slowly but surely filing into the building. A group of A-Listers huddled in the hallways before class.

“Is anybody else suspicious of how normal it is here? Normal is not normal. Ya know?” Paulina Sanchez was looking around at her friends, wondering if they had been thinking the same thing.

“I don’t know Paulina, Fenton has seemed pretty chill lately,” Dash responded, leaning against a locker casually. The fabric of his red and white letter jacket scrunching beneath him as he shifted his weight, “Maybe he’s got the whole chaos-craving-demon-child thing out of his system now? I mean the mission at that government facility was some serious shit. Maybe he’s had his fill of adrenaline. I mean, come on, it’s Danny Fenton. How long have we known him? His whole life he’s just been the kid with the ghost hunting parents. Maybe this sudden personality shift was just him getting his genetic weirdness out.”

“Actually when you come to think of it, Dash. What do we really know about Danny?” Kwan interrupted, “Sure he’s always been pretty low key. But these last few years it almost seemed like he wanted to stay in the shadows. Now though, for no particular reason at all, he’s decided to become the focus of the whole school. I mean, that’s weird right? It’s almost like he’s trying to tell us something…”

But before the group could reach any conclusions, a rumbling noise started echoing through the halls.

“What the fuck?” Star looked towards the other end of the school. “Is that coming from inside?”

The floors were shaking with the weight of whatever was coming. Students and teachers alike were sticking their heads out of doorways and gathering in the halls to take a look at what was causing the disturbance. At the end of the hall, someone, or something, was banging on the main doors to the building. Then a familiar female voice could be heard from just outside.

“Damn it Tucker, it’s pull not push! How have you gone four years here without knowing how to open the MAIN ENTRANCE DOOR?!”

“Hey it’s not my fault Danny always just phases us in when we’re late. Besides, only geeks come in the main door. Everybody else always comes in the side door next to the lockers.”

“Sam! Tucker! Cool It! You’re going to ruin our grand entrance. Now, Tucker, will you please pull open the door?”

Before anybody could stop and figure out what the hell was going on, the main doors swung open, “HEAR YE, HEAR YE! IT IS OUR PLEASURE TO INTRODUCE KING OF THE YETI, DANIEL JAMES FENTON!”

Tucker Foley was dressed in an ice blue robe with a long, decorative staff. As soon as the words left his lips, a group of tall, blue yetis marched in, led by Danny himself. Danny was also wearing an ice blue robe, however it was more elaborate than Tucker’s, with streaks of various shades of blue streaking down the sides and icicles that had somehow been embroidered into the fabric. He had on the sloppiest cardboard crown anybody had ever seen. It was crudely cut from, presumably, an old cereal box. The oddest thing about his whole look however, was his glowing blue eyes. Sure his eyes were naturally blue, but at this moment they looked too blue. Like the icicles from his robe had somehow made their way around his irises and became luminescent.

“Hello to all of my fellow students and teachers,” Danny announced with a sarcastic regality in his voice, standing tall and noble before the crowd, “Today is a fine day indeed, as my subjects from the north have decided to throw a festival in my honor.”

The crowd looked slack jawed at Danny and the yetis. Behind him, Sam and Tucker were trying (and failing) to stifle their laughter.

“What the FUCK Fenton?!” Dash was the first to recover from the initial shock. He was trying to process so many things at once. First and foremost, the gigantic frostbitten yetis standing directly in front of him and secondly, the fact that Daniel Fenton was standing before them all dressed as a King.

“Hey, language Dash,” Danny called with a huge smirk plastered on his face, clearly enjoying this, “You’re in the presence of royalty. You wouldn’t want to upset me in case one of my friends here decides to silence your blasphemous tone.”

At that the whole class was stunned into silence (other than Sam and Tucker who were absolutely losing their shit in the hallway next to Danny). The students weren’t sure if this was a prank or if they should be legitimately terrified.

Seeing the pale faces and wide eyes Danny decided to cool it on the royalty stuff, “Guys I’m just kidding jeez, I’m just trying to have a good time.”

A collective sigh of relief was heard among the students and staff.

“Mr. Fenton,” Mr. Lancer squeaked. He cleared his throat and tried again, “Mr. Fenton. This is hardly time for a party. It’s a Monday morning and you are supposed to be in class.”

“Oh come on Mr. Lancer, we’ve all had a stressful few weeks. Why don’t you let me do some good with my shenanigans for once, huh?” Danny got on his knees and tried his best to mimic a begging puppy, “Please? I’ll do anything. I’ll even surrender my crown to a very special Vice Principal in exchange for one day of festivities.”

“Honestly Daniel, as long as you promise not to set the school on fire this time, I guess I will allow it. But ONLY because you will be graduating soon, and I am growing tired of trying to fight against your mischievous tendencies,” Mr. Lancer smirked. Perhaps this won’t be so bad, “I still want the crown though.”

Danny carefully takes the cardboard crown off of his head and hands it to Mr. Lancer, “Anything for you King Lancer.”

“HEAR YE HEAR YE! WE INTRODUCED TO YOU KING EDWARD LANCER OF CASPER HIGH!” Tucker yelled and banged the staff on the floor.

Relieved of his kingly duties and seeing the party start to get going, Danny walks over to his friends.

“Okay maybe this won’t really help me reveal my identity to my classmates, but I thought it would be a good way to get the ghostly pranks going again. Don’t worry guys, there’s much more fun to come. Trust me.”

Sam, Danny, and Tucker turned to look at the party they had created, and, for the first time in a long time, they sat down and enjoyed a Monday at Casper High.

Chapter Text

Rule #31) I will NOT throw knives at students for entertainment purposes.

A group of students crowd around the doors to the Casper High auditorium. A white poster with colorful ribbons and opera masks printed on it is stapled to the green, synthetic resin doors. Under the headline SCHOOL TALENT SHOW is a long signup sheet. A black pen is dangling on a string next to it.

“School talent show? When did this become a thing?” Kwan asks from the front of the crowd.

“Talent show? Oh my god! My dream is coming true. Star, come and sign up with me!” Paulina Sanchez pushes her way through the mass of teenagers and grabs the pen. In large cursive letters, she signs her name in the first spot on the sign up sheet. After she finishes writing her name down, she dots the ‘i’ in Paulina with an elaborate heart.

“It sounds fun, but what should I do?” Star asks, also making her way to the front of the crowd, “I can’t sing like you can.”

“Didn’t you play piano in, like, 5th grade? You could play The Office theme song or something! Come on, it would be so much fun!” Paulina replies.

As Star made her way to the sign up sheet to sign up for auditions, a few stragglers joined the group.

“What’s all this about?” A familiar voice from the back of the crowd asks.

“Hey, Fenton,” Dash turns around to look at Danny, “Seems like Lancer is trying to make Casper a little more normal and a little less Amity by sponsoring a school-wide talent show. Auditions are tonight after last period,” he pauses for a minute and smirks, “You got any secret talents that you’re dying to share with us?”

Danny sighs and replies wearily, “In spite of my recent attempts Dash, apparently you still have no idea.”

“Seriously, the irony of that statement is so lost on you guys,” Sam adds, eyeing Dash, “It’s tragic, honestly. Besides, a talent show? Does he look like Sutton Foster to you?” Sam gestures to Danny, who, along with the rest of the group, stifles a laugh.

“Actually,” Tucker interjects, “I think this could be a great opportunity for us, guys,” He lifts his face from his PDA to address his friends, “I think a talent show could have a lot of potential.”

Sam and Danny turn to Tucker with surprised looks on their faces. After a few seconds of confused silence, Danny gets a strange look on his face. The confusion turns to mischief as his eyes light up and his mouth curves into a grin.

“Actually Tuck, you’re absolutely right! That sounds like a great idea! Sam, didn’t you say that you’ve been practicing your magic tricks lately? Maybe you’d like to share them with our classmates?” Danny looks at Sam, clearly trying to communicate something.

At first her look of confusion deepened, but as realization dawned on her she too started grinning from ear to ear, “Yes Danny,” she says slowly, “I have been working on my magic tricks. In fact, I could teach some of them to you, and you could be my lovely assistant for the talent show.”

“And I could work on the lighting,” Tucker chimes in.

The rest of the group stands bewildered by the strange interaction unfolding before them. What are those three planning this time?

“No offense guys, but magic tricks? That’s kind of lame, even for you,” Dash interrupts the trio, “Besides all that stuff is fake anyway. It’s not really a talent when anybody could do it.”

“Oh don’t you worry Dash,” Danny replies, still sporting a mischievous smile, “this is going to be the best magic show you’ve ever seen. Cross my heart and hope to die,” he pauses, “again.”

The warning bell rings, letting the students know it’s time to get to class. Not wanting to upset Mr. Lancer in case it might affect their chances of getting into the talent show, everyone rushes to their respective classrooms. A sort of electricity crackles in the air. Excitement hangs heavy in the halls of Casper High.

By the time the end of the day rolls around, almost 30 students have signed up for the talent show. Included in these 30 students are Dash, Kwan, Paulina, Star, the trio, a couple of other seniors, and a few underclassmen.

Walking into the auditorium, the hopeful auditionees knew instinctively that this was not some rinky-dink production. Mr. Lancer was standing in front of the first row of seats in his signature plaid pants, marking down who was early, on time, or late. A single spotlight was focused on the center of the stage.

“Alright students,” he began once he was sure every student was accounted for. His voice carried in the expansive auditorium, “As you can see, I want this production to be of quality. I will accept no tomfoolery, roughhousing, or sub-par acts in this show. I hope you all utilized your time effectively to prepare for today’s auditions.”

A few students avert their eyes and gulp.. Maybe they were a in little over their heads. This year had been a strange one, and most of the weary teenagers had begun to assume that they could just half ass everything they did for the rest of the year. In their defense, it had pretty much worked out for them up until this point.

“Now, do we have any volunteers to go first?” A perfectly polished nail shoots into the air, “Yes, Miss Sanchez. What will you be doing for us today?”

“Good evening Mr. Lancer. Tonight I will be singing “On My Own” from Les Misérables. And can I just say thank you so much for this wonderful opportunity. I’ve been lobbying for a talent show since freshman year and-”

Mr. Lancer puts up a hand to cut Paulina off, “Thank you Miss Sanchez. My hope is that this production will unify the student body and bring some normalcy back to Casper High after these recent occurrences.” He looks Danny in the eye as he says that last bit.

Dash nudges his friend, “Called it,” he whispers to Kwan from the third row.

“Paulina, I assume you brought an accompaniment track with you”, Mr. Lancer continues, “You may go on stage and start whenever you’re ready.”

“Good luck.” Star whispers to Paulina as Casper’s most popular girl steps into the spotlight. Paulina takes a breath and nods to Star to start the track. Paulina looks out into the audience. Though she can’t see them because of the intense light facing her, she knows everybody's watching her. She opens her mouth and starts to sing.

“Great Gatsby,” Lancer mutters, entranced by Paulina’s voice, “This is lovely.”

“Holy shit,” Sam whispers to Danny and Tucker, who are sitting with her in the back row of the auditorium, “She’s so damn good.”

She was in fact damn good. When the song finally ends, the whole group, including Lancer, is so stunned that they didn’t even clap. It isn’t until they see how worried Paulina is until they finally shake themselves out of their stupor and applaud wildy. A few of the teens even gave her a standing ovation. Lancer was the first to speak when the noise had died down.

“Well I think it’s safe to say that you’ve definitely made the cut Miss Sanchez,” he wipes a tear from his eyes, “That was beautiful. Kwan, I believe you’re next on the list.”

“Wow, well no pressure or anything,” Kwan throws his hands into the air, “Somehow I have a feeling that my juggling act isn’t going to get quite the reaction that Paulina did.”

“Don’t worry dude. If you don’t make it, you can join my act,” Dash responds.

“Yeah, and what’s that?”

“Pookie and I are gonna do some tricks for everybody.”

From the back of the auditorium Danny turns his head to look at the jock, “Dash, you snuck your dog in here? How did nobody notice this?”

Dash shrugs and pulls back his letterman jacket to reveal a small, scruffy chihuahua, “It’s a thick jacket.”

“Well,” Tucker gaped at the jock, “I can honestly say I didn’t see that coming.”

“Yeah, no kidding,” Sam replies, equally amazed.

“Guys I think I’m losing my touch,” Danny laughs, “If Dash is able to sneak something past me, it’s a wonder that I’m even still half-alive.”

“Not going to lie man, that’s pretty embarrassing.” Tucker replies jokingly.

The three of them smile, happy for their time together and suddenly nostalgic for all of the memories they have made together. With graduation coming up, it was safe to say that many of the students of Casper were also feeling the time slip through their fingers.

“Alright folks enough chatter,” Lancer claps his hands, bringing the trio back to reality, “Let’s get these auditions on the road. Kwan, you’re up.”

Surprisingly, Kwan’s juggling act was fairly entertaining. Dash’s tricks with Pookie (though a little strange given the setting) were super cute and well received. Star ended up playing a medley of Disney songs on the piano and even elicited a sing-a-long to Frozen’s “Let It Go” from her classmates.

Among the rejected acts are Mikey’s horrendous stand-up routine, Spike’s spoken word poems, and some red-headed kid’s presentation on how aliens are living among us (Wendell? Watson? Winston? His name is something like that).

“Our last audition of the night is,” Lancer squints at the sign up sheet, “Sam Manson’s Magical Mystery Mania with the lovely Daniel Fenton.”

The whole audience breaks out into a fit of laughter. Lancer just sighs and looks at the three trouble makers that he had been teaching for four years, “ Yes Miss Manson, that is quite comical indeed. Care to come on stage and show me why I should let your Magical Mystery Mania perform at my talent show?”

“You know it, Mr. Lancer.” She winks and pulls Danny on stage with her. The audience shifts in their seats, wondering what tricks they had up their sleeves this time. At first, Sam and Danny do some basic tricks with cards and quarters. Nothing fancy, just your average sleight of hand. The students clap politely after every trick. The performance is going well, but it isn’t quite the spectacle that they were expecting.

“And now,” Sam announces after the clapping for her last trick has subsided, “It’s time for my finale.” From behind her back she pulls out a black magicians cane with white caps on both ends, “Introding, the dancing cane! This is a magic cane that dances in the air.”

She lets go of the cane, and it bounces in the air. She makes a beckoning motion with her left wrist, and the cane levitates over from her right. ‘Oohs’ and ‘Aahs’ come from the audience. After a couple more routines with the dancing cane, Sam takes a bow. She extends her arm to Danny, who also bows. “And that’s our show!” Sam says as straightens out.

“Thank you for that lovely performance Miss Manson. You and Mr. Fenton have earned your place in tomorrow’s talent show. In fact, you will be the closing act.” Mr. Lancer nods approvingly as he adds a checkmark and a few notes to their names on the signup sheet.

The audience claps, and as soon as Sam and Danny step off of the stage their classmates are asking them how the tricks work.

“A magician never reveals her secrets,” Sam responds airily as she, Danny, and Tucker leave the auditorium.

“If they thought that was cool, they’ve got another thing coming when we do the actual show tomorrow.” Tucker whispers to Sam and Danny.

“Lancer’s gonna flip his lid.” Danny chuckles

“Yeah, and then he’s going to flip yours,” Tucker replies.

“Worth it,” Sam cuts back into the conversation. “If they can’t take a hint after this one, I don’t know if there’s any hope for the students of Casper to discover Phantom’s real identity on their own.”

“Well, worst case scenario, I’ve got a couple more ideas.” Danny smirks. “There’s a list on my Notes App titled, Your Friendly Neighborhood Ectoplasmic Enigma.”

“Eh, the title needs work,” Tucker comments.

Danny scowls at him, “Okay genius, we can’t all be great at naming things. At least I don’t call my cell phone Irma.”

“Hey!” Tucker clutches his PDA dramatically and strokes it whispering, “Don’t worry baby, he doesn’t mean it.”

Sam laughs and lightly punches Danny on the arm, “Okay you two, let’s call it a night. I’ll catch you tomorrow before curtain.”

With that, the trio part ways to their respective homes. Sam sneaks past her parents, hoping she can sneak in a game of bowling with her grandmother before they try to sucker her into watching The Great British Bake Off with them. The first thing Tucker does when he gets home is bolt to the refrigerator. The minute he stepped through the door, he could smell the meatloaf that had been on the table an hour ago. Like the notorious carnivore he is, Tucker devours the remaining leftovers before retreating to his bedroom to get in a few minutes of late-night programming. After checking to make sure his house is safe and ghost-free, Danny climbs the stairs to his room. He’s out within minutes of his head hitting the pillow.

The lights blinks on and off, indicating 5 minutes until the show begins. Over the auditorium speakers, a voice announces, “Welcome ladies and gentlemen to Casper High’s first talent show! We thank you all for coming tonight, and we hope you enjoy the show! This is our 5 minute warning before the curtain goes up and the lights go out. If you need to use the restroom or want to get any snacks, now is the time! You can find the names of all of tonight’s performers in our playbill. Our opening act will be Paulina Sanchez singing “On My Own” from Les Misérables. We thank you again for attending our show!”

When the lights finally go down, anticipation fills the air. Excited parents whisper amongst themselves as a single spotlight shines on the stage. From the curtains, a beautiful latino girl walks to center stage. She’s wearing a blush sequined floor-length that complements her complexion. The track starts playing from the stage speakers and Paulina captivates the audience instantly. By the time she’s finished the song, there are several tears shed from various audience members. From backstage, Danny swears he even sees one rolling down his dad’s cheek.

Figures, Danny smiles and thinks to himself, He’s always been a big softie at heart.

Kwan is next to go. The audience is pleasantly entertained with the flying oranges, ribbons, and bowling pins. He takes his bow and introduces Star.

“Oh,” Kwan winks, “And feel free to sing along to this act.”

After the first song in the medley, it’s doubted that Kwan ever even needed to invite the audience to sing along. “Let It Go”, “Under The Sea”, and “Hakuna Matata” are big hits among the parents and young siblings. The teenagers swear they even see a couple of old-timers swaying to the beat. Pookie and Dash receive many ‘awws’ and ‘ohmygodsocute’s from the audience. Somebody (probably one of his little brothers) even threw a couple of dog treats on the stage. Not the best idea in the world, but Dash catches Pookie eventually. There’s only one act left before it’s time for the closing act. Danny, Sam, and Tucker are huddled together in a circle, discussing their plan.

“Okay,” Sam whispers to Danny and Tucker backstage. Like Paulina, she’s also wearing sequins. She’s sporting a fitted sequined black jacket with purple trim to bring out her violet eyes. A magician's hat with the same color scheme rests on top of her dark hair. “We go on right after Stacy is finished with her dance routine.”

“We’ve gotten away with getting this equipment in here, but as soon as Lancer sees it, he’s going to know something’s up,” Tucker whispers.

“I know, Tuck,” Danny replies, “We just have to hope, for the sake of the show, he won’t pull the plug before we even get going.”

“If we can pull this off, I might have to become a professional magician,” Sam jokes.

The speakers around the stage crackle to life. “Thank you for that wonderful performance of Smooth Criminal, Stacy. Our next and final act will be Sam Manson’s Magical Mystery Mania. Assisting her is Daniel Fenton.”

“Okay guys, we’re on!” Sam whispers excitedly. She walks on stage, Danny close behind. She takes a bow, “Thank you all for coming tonight! My name is Sam Manson. Prepare to have your minds blown. Tucker, please bring out the Saw Coffin.”

From the left curtains, Tucker pushes a rectangular wooden box onto the main stage. It has a worn paint-job, with flecks of the dried art falling off. It looks like the original design must have had some words painted in red on the side. The only letters left are FR G IL E. It doesn’t look like a normal magician's prop. In fact, it doesn’t look like a prop at all. It appears to be a normal box that someone would use for a large shipment.

“In this trick, Danny will get into this box. Once he has laid down inside the coffin, I will use this saw,” Sam pulls a large handsaw from behind her back, “to cut him in half.”

Eyes widen in the audience. Despite the suspicious props, most of them still figure it’s just another magician’s trick. The Saw a Woman in Half trick is signature in most advanced magician’s routines, so nobody was really that worried. Still though, it’s nerve wracking to watch the goth girl saw through what is supposedly her best friend’s torso. Once Sam’s finished sawing through the box, she pulls the two halves apart. Lots of ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs’ come from the various audience members. One kid, however, is unimpressed.

The red headed boy from the presentation about aliens yells from the fifth row, “Guys, come on, really? There’s two people in the box. One person folds up in each half so their head or feet show up, respectively. If Manson opened up the boxes, you’d find Fenton in the first, and some other poor guy crammed in the second one.”

“Hey man, you’re ruining the trick! Not cool,” A kid shouts back.

“It’s alright everyone,” Sam puts her hands up to still the steadily devolving crowd, ”Wes (Wes!) has made a solid, though annoying, observation. However, I can assure you there is no trickery here. All of my magic is 100% legit.”

“Prove it then Morticia.” Wes snaps back.

Sam smirks deviously. This is exactly what the trio was hoping for. “Fine, you asked for it.” She opens up the two halves of the boxes. Danny nods his head and smiles mischievously as he starts to crawl out of the first half.

“Ha told you!” Wes starts laughing. As soon as he sees what’s behind Danny’s head though, he stops. Everything below Danny’s torso is missing. He pulls himself out of the box with his arms. Where his legs should be is just the hem of his signature white and red t-shirt. Out of the second half of the box tumbles his lower half. His jeaned legs push themselves off of the ground and start walking towards the end of the stage.

A couple of people in the audience scream. A few even pass out from the sheer horror of the image in front of them. Surprisingly, the majority of the audience claps for the impressive visual effects, still convinced this is all part of the trick.

“Okay Danny, that’s enough. Let’s put you back together.” Sam gestures to Danny to get back into the boxes. He crawls back in and Sam pushes the two halves back together. Once Danny gives hers the thumbs up, she opens up the tops of both boxes and Danny, in one piece again, steps out of the rectangular prop. He takes a dramatic bow. The audience, at least the ones who have recovered from what they just experienced, clap madly.
“How are we doin’ folks?” Sam asks the audience, gaging whether the audience can handle another ‘trick’. They look like they’re enjoying the show for the most part. She steals a glance at Lancer. He doesn’t look happy, but he’s not going to stop the show yet. Like everyone else, he just assumes that Tucker did some of his own magic with the visual effects.

“For my next trick,” Sam addresses the audience, “I will require a volunteer.”

Several hands shoot into the air. Adults and kids alike stretch their hands as high as they can. Overlooking all of the excited attendees, Sam’s eyes rest on the red-headed heckler. “How about our resident skeptic. Wes? Would you like to be a part of the magic yourself?”

Not one to turn down a challenge, Wes stands up, “Sure. This way I can expose your secrets from up close and personal.”

Hands fall dejectedly back into laps. Though disappointed at not being chosen for the trick, many of the audience members are enraptured by the strange rivalry forming between Wes and the trio.

“Okay Wes, all you have to do is stay as still as possible. You know that pose from the titanic? I want you to do that. Pretend you’re Peter Pan and you’re about to take off to Neverland.”

Wes puts his arms out to the side feeling slightly ridiculous. A light shade of red slips into his cheeks. Trying not to feel like an idiot, he patiently waits for something to happen. Danny stealthily sneaks into the shadows of the curtains. Sam glances backstage and nods. Wes looks in the direction of the gesture, but doesn’t see anybody. Then he feels a sudden pressure, like two hands pulling up from under his arms. Before he can process what’s happening, he’s floating in the air.

“Without the help of wires or cables, Wes is going to fly through the theatre!” Sam smiles and looks up as Wes soars above her. He flies around the length of the auditorium. Eyes as wide as saucers follow Wes’s movements from the audience. On stage, Sam is tracing his movements with her arm, making it appear as though she is controlling the direction he flies in. The pressure under his arms has shifted slightly to support his weight horizontally, but Wes is too focused on the fact that he is actually flying to hear the soft giggling directly under him.

“And now, Wes will safely return to the stage.” Sam announces as Wes descends back to solid ground, “Well Wes, do you still hold any doubts?” Too stunned to speak, Wes simply nods, and returns to his chair.

“Okay folks, it’s time for the next prop. Tucker, if you will,” Sam looks to her right this time. Tucker pushes a giant wooden structure onto the stage. It’s a giant wooden wheel attached to a block base to keep it upright. It’s similar to the wheel on Jeopardy. “Danny, I’m going to need you for this one.”

Danny walks back onto stage. The audience realises they never noticed he left and wonder where he snuck off too. From a small table on the right, Sam retrieves a small folded pouch. It looks like a large cloth wallet, folded over. Tucker begins strapping Danny to the large wheel. From the front row of the audience, Lancer starts to worry about what the young goth has planned. Once Danny is strapped into the wheel, Tucker gives it a large push. Danny starts to spin on the wheel in a circular motion.

Sam reaches into the pouch. Something silver glints in the light. Quick as a flash, Sam pulls out a small dagger and throws it at the wheel. It pierces the wood a few centimeters shy of Danny’s ear. She throws another one near his waist. The third and final dagger lands in the fabric of his right shirt sleeve. It’s so close to the seam that the audience is sure it must have pierced the raven-haired teen’s shoulder.

Lancer stands up and calls to Sam, “Samantha, stop this right now! This was not included in your auditions. This is too far. Endangering a fellow student of Casper High is unacceptable!”

“Don’t worry Mr. Lancer, I’m fine!” Danny hops down from the wheel.

The audience does a double take. When did Tucker unknot him from the ropes?

“Calm down Mr. Lancer, it’s just a trick,” Tucker explains, “Look.” He points to the wheel, where all of the knives have mysteriously disappeared.

“Lord of The Flies,” Lacer is bewildered, “Forgive me kids, I should have more trust in you. I’m sorry, these illusions are just…so real.”

“No worries Mr. Lancer,” Sam says, “Do you mind if we finish off with our last trick? No knives or severed torsos included. I swear.” She puts a hand on her chest, making a sincere promise.

“Of course Miss Manson. Sorry again for the interruption folks!” Mr. Lancer addresses the equally bewildered crowd and sits back down in his seat.

“No worries Mr. Lancer,” Sam smiles graciously and steps back from the edge of the stage to stand in the spotlight once again, “For our last trick of the night, my lovely assistants and I will disappear before your very eyes! Tuck, Danny, why don’t you step up to center stage.”

Danny and Tucker step up next to Sam. Sam stands to Danny’s right while Tucker stands to his left. The three teens join hands to form a line facing the audience.

“We would be delighted, Samantha,” Danny teases her.

Sam gives him a side eye, “It’s Sam, dickwad,” she whispers with a mock scowl. She can’t help but smile just a little bit at Danny’s teasing, “Now do your thing, will ya? I’m hungry and I want to go get a bite. Plus, these lights are making me sweat.”

“I thought goths were immune to sweating,” Tucker joins in the banter, “They simmer.”

“Oh, shut up you two,” Sam rolls her eyes. Danny laughs and looks out towards the audience.

“Before we go, we wanted to thank you all again for coming,” He addresses the star-struck crowd and bows, “It’s been fun.” He lifts his head and smirks. Then, with a flash, he and Tucker disappear.

At first, nobody moves. The impossibility of the whole night has left everybody mute. Eventually, the lights in the theatre come back on, and people dazedly start filing out of the school auditorium.

Last to leave is Wes Weston. The magic of his flight has faded, leaving him with the mystery of how three teenagers pulled off the stunts he had just witnessed. With his hand on his chin and a thoughtful look on his face, he stands to leave. He takes one more look at the stage and vows to find an answer to all of the questions swarming in his head.