"Is that it?" James asked politely as Kayla finished her incantation.
"Yeah I, uh, guess I need more practice" she smirked as if she knew something he didn't.
"Oh, ok, well I really need to go now" James responded with apologetic confusion.
"No, wait!" Kayla spoke urgently "I have a show starting in a few minutes. I need you to come. And sit in the front row"
"Really? Magic isn't exactly my thing" James answered honestly.
"Look, this show is kind of a trial here for me. I need a friendly face, someone who can show me some support." Kayla pleaded "Please, I know we just met but this is important to me!"
"Ok, fine. I'll come" James sighed, unable to reject such a heartfelt plea.
And so it was soon he found himself sitting front and centre a few feet from a small but functional temporary stage in a large tent at the other end of the circus. There was not much evidence of an impending magic act yet, no props or devices he would have expected a magician to use, just a small sign which read "The Amazing Kayla - Witness Real Magic!!!"
A small but enthusiastic crowd of maybe fifty or sixty had gathered taking most of the limited space in the venue and there was much impatient and anticipatory murmiring to be heard over the generic circus music that was playing in the background.
"Real magic eh? Should be interesting!"
James turned his head to identify the owner of the unfamiliar voice that had broken his concentration to be confronted with the pleasing form of a pretty young woman in her early twenties, fashionably dressed with dyed blonde hair, who had just taken the seat next to his.
"Yeah, so she's really going to make your card vanish" James joked. The young woman laughed.
"I've just arrived here. You got any other recommendations once this show has finished?" she asked.
"Not really. I just got here too" James admitted.
"Well, maybe we can explore together?" Lucy suggested with a smile.
"Of course!" James tried not to sound as enthusiastic as he felt "I'm James by the way"
"Lucy" Lucy replied.
James could hardly believe his luck. Two hot girls approaching him in less than an hour? And this one didn't seem crazy.
Speaking of which...suddenly the lights dimmed and a familiar voice announced herself "Ladies and gentleman, please welcome to the stage the amazing Kayla!"
If nothing else, Kayla at least looked the part. She really was a beautiful woman and the sexy magicians uniform she had chosen, a skimpy black corset, thigh high boots and classic magicians hat drew more than a few wolf whistles.
As Kayla began James was pleasantly surprised by her ability. He was watching her close up and had no idea how she was able to pull some of her tricks off. It was as if she was able to make things appear from nowhere or vanish into nothing. He knew all magicians performed tricks like that of course, but he couldn't see any slight of hand or method of distraction. It was as really clever stuff.
"And now" Kayla announced theatrically after another impressive dissapearance trick "I need a volunteer from the audience. How about....you, sir!"
Shit! Kayla was pointing straight at James. He was hoping that wouldn't happen. Why did it have to be him?
There was a slightly awkward delay before Lucy nudged him with an encouraging smile and James rose reluctantly to his feet. Kayla took his hand and led him up on to stage with her. Well, he did say he would help her out.
"Welcome to the stage sir, please can you tell our lovely audience your name"
"James"
"Ok, great to meet you James! Now this next trick is really going to blow your minds!" Kayla was addressing the audience now rather than her new friend "I'm sure you've all seen plenty of magicians claim to transform their assistant or an audience member into an animal, but now I'm really going to do it before your disbelieving eyes!"
James wasn't sure how this was going to work or where he was supposed to hide during this trick. Shouldn't she have gone through this with him earlier?
"Look, no props!" Kayla gestured to the rest of the empty stage "No screen for James to hide behind or for me to retrieve a bunny from. Just real magic!"
The audience seemed just as unconvinced by this set up as as James. How was she planning to pull this off? James felt concerned Kayla was about to humiliate herself, but there was nothing he could do at this point.
"And most impressive of all, to prove this wasn't a pre-planned stunt I'm going to let you decide which animals James becomes! Now, what should I turn him into first?"
A number of voices shouted out at once as Kayla decided to take a request from..