Later that afternoon, Lisa texted Ty that she had permission to visit him, and stay overnight if he wanted. (And he did want.) When June got home from work, she confirmed that Lisa was welcome to come over, and stay, and Ty texted her.
"Great! I'll drop by around 7:30," she texted back.
As Ty ate dinner with his family, he explained Lisa's plan for him to perform as a magician in the talent show, that Dustin and Lisa would be his assistants, and that Lisa was coming over to help plan the act. "I think that's a great idea!" said June.
Mark said, "I'm sure your act will impress everyone!"
"And it does sound like a good start to your longer-term plan to let Lisa's parents know about your powers," June added. "It's nice of you to let Dustin participate."
Ty said, "I'm glad he agreed to help! Thanks, Dustin!"
"You're welcome," Dustin replied. "I think it will be fun!"
After dinner was done, all four of them were in the living room when Lisa arrived. Ty answered the door, waved to Diego, and kissed Lisa. She joined them in the living room, and Mark turned off the TV.
"Mark and I will go upstairs, so you can plan," June said.
Lisa replied, "We'd be happy to have you stay with us and help with the planning, if you like." Ty nodded.
"I'd like that," June said, and looked to Mark. "Is that OK with you?"
Mark said, "Sure! I doubt that I'll be much help, but I'm definitely interested."
Lisa gave a brief overview of the idea, and joked about how Ty tried to scuttle the plan by claiming not to know any "magic tricks". Everyone except Ty got a good laugh out of that, but Ty took it good-naturedly. Lisa said that the tentative name of the act was "The Amazing Tyler."
Ty said, "If no one objects, I prefer another name I thought about this afternoon, 'Eisenheim the Illusionist.' It's a reference to a novel and film."
June was enthusiastic. "That's a great name! It sounds mysterious and somehow romantic."
Lisa said, "The motion carries. Do Dustin and I need stage names?"
"I expected that I would just refer to you by your first names," Ty replied, "but if you prefer stage names, that's fine with me."
Lisa looked at Dustin, who said, "It doesn't matter to me."
"OK," Lisa said. "I'm fine with first names.
"I picked up the rules and entry form," she continued. "We get up to six minutes for the act, though I'm hoping that if our audition goes well, we might be able to convince them to give us a little more." She quickly summarized the rules. The only one that Ty was disappointed in was that they could not use any open flame.
Ty described his ideas for the act, which were fairly standard tricks, but with new variations thar made them more impressive. Lisa, Dustin, and June had some good suggestions, and Mark offered encouragement. Lisa took notes.
Ty said, "If you all don't mind, let's rehearse what we've planned." Everyone agreed. June and Mark stayed in the living room, as the audience, while Lisa, Dustin and Ty went into the kitchen to prepare.
A few minutes later, Ty walked back into the living room, looking handsome in formal wear and a top hat, and started the act. He made a few minor mistakes, and was annoyed with himself. Well, that's the point of rehearsal, he thought. Lisa and Dustin did their parts well
When they completed the intro, Mark and June applauded. "Amazing," said Mark. "Literally!"
"Bravo," said June. "Very well done! The audience will love it!"
They discussed the things that had gone well, and the things that could use improvement. Mark and June had some recommendations about the positioning of the performers on the stage, to give the audience the best view. Lisa added to the notes she had been keeping.
Ty said. "If everone has time, I want to do another run through on that." Everyone agreed, so they rehearsed one more time, with the agreed upon changes. This time it went smoother. June and Mark applauded again.
June said, "I like the part of the intro where Eisenheim explains that the what the audience will see is only illusions, and that there is no real danger. I think that preface actually made me more nervous about the third trick than I otherwise would have been."
"Yes, that's part of the reason I suggested it," said Lisa.
"OK, I think that's enough for tonight," Ty said. "We'll want to rehearse more over the next week, before our audition. Mom, Dad, thanks for your help!"
"You're welcome," said both Mark and June.
Lisa had filled out part of the entry form, and had June sign the parental permission part. Diego had already signed. "We just need to fi.l in a bit more detail, and we can submit this tomorrow," she said. "I'm so excited!"
"Goodnight," Ty said, and he and Lisa went upstairs to his room.