THE EMPRESS | NYSM

ACT TEN.

THE LAST ACT
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"S'IL te plaît, dis à maman que je l'aime et j'espère la voir, toi et toi.." The magician exclaimed with her headphones on as she entered the van. Daniel and Henley hears this and turns to each with furrowed brows, Henley shakes her head and shrugs it off before entering the vehicle as well.

"Non, papa, je dois y aller maintenant. Je t'aime tellement. Au revoir." Elizabeth continued but was cut off by Daniel.

"Uh you're French?" He asks, motioning to his ear as a signal for Elizabeth tot all off her earbuds. "Uh, sorry. What was that?"

"You're French?" He asks again.

"No, but my Dad lives in France and I had to live with home for while before returning to New York with my Mom."

"Danny is just surprised, Beth. Thing is we really don't know much about, all except that you're into antiquing as a hobby." Henley adds in, joining into the ever most random conversation.

"Well, for starters, I'm not very open about my personal life. So I have no clue as of how you found of my hobby." Elizabeth laughs, sending a playful glare at Merritt through the mirror, who puts his hand in surrender. "One thing I could tell you is that I grew up with being close friends with Lionel Shrike. Jeez, that makes me old."

They laugh all together as the van comes to a halt with Merritt driving. "Okay group, we have arrived!" Elizabeth removed her earbuds and just threw her phone onto the seat where the FBI would find it later.

"Madame." Henley says, motion to the back door for her to go first, just like the saying goes. "Ladies first".

"Merci." She smiles back at the red-head, Daniel smiles at the two ladies as he follows behind them.

They need to make their to the ware house soon, it was almost time for the show to star and people already started ti gather up. Which was good so they could get through unnoticed by the FBI. "Better tell her soon, just incase we live in prison for the next 25 years or so. Or when she finds another criminal to fall for." Merritt says, scaring the male brunette that walked beside him.

"I really have no clue on what you're talking about, so please just drop this topic." Daniel lies, which there was really no point of trying when it comes to Merritt McKinney. He could read you in a instant, any lie would go through him and he would know. Although, just like he had said, when it came to Daniel and Elizabeth's relationship it didn't need a mentalist to know the lies that came out of Daniel's mouth.

"Has your mother told you to never lie? Because the words that are coming out of you are not the truth, I saw how you looked at her Daniel. That is not how you look at a colleague, sorry my bad, close friend." Merritt explains but in return he gets ignored by the magician.

"Okay, alright. But I will be ready to say, "I told you so"." He says with a shrug of his shoulders.

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Loud cheers and the sound of police sirens could be hear from inside the building, it didn't bother the Horsemen anymore about the sirens. Being watched by the police was a thing they were used to.

The show had to begin and it would start with Daniel. "What is magic?" he asks only to answer his own question. "Magic is deception. But deception designed to delight, to entertain, to inspire.

"It is about belief-" Elizabeth says in which the rest of the Horsemen take turns answering.

"Faith."

"Trust."

"Without those qualities. Magic, as an art form, would no longer exist." Merritt says.

"But what happens if these qualities are not used for their higher purpose?" Henley rhetorically asks the audience. "And instead they're used to cheat, lie." Daniel continues her sentence.

"For personal gain or for free. Then it's no longer magic. It's crime."

Now it was Elizabeth's turn to speak out, "So tonight, for our final act you're gonna help us set a few things right." With that they were off the surface of the building, all Daniel had to do next was to set up the trap for the FBI so they could get to the roof.

"Showtime." Merritt said while rubbing his hands together mischievously.

The four Horsemen hastily made their way to the elevator before the two FBI agents they expected could get to them. When they had arrived at the graffiti covered wall elevator it had a awkward silence they brought with them. Elizabeth leaned against the chain wall, anxiously playing with her fingers which Merritt noticed.

Merritt broke the silence when he called out for Daniel. "Daniel?"

"Yeah?" He looked up, his hands comfortably stuck in his pockets.

"As our, let's call it, year of living dangerously comes to a close, in a rare moment of vulnerability. I'd like to express a sentiment to you about our relationship." Merritt started, all three, including Elizabeth, smiled at Merritt's sincere and serious conversation.

"Well, when I first met you, I thought you were kind of a dick." Merritt paused but it had seemed like more of a end.

Elizabeth chuckled to herself. "And?" Henley says, letting out a laugh as well.

"No, that's it."

"Yeah, that's very nice."

"Yup."

"Yeah, I'm touched."

"Just from the heart." Merritt says clutching his chest with a pout on his face. "Oh, well, I didn't tell you whee I was touched." Daniel says that made Elizabeth almost choke on her own spit. Her eyes widen at the words that had came out from Daniel. "Oh, you!" Merritt says, playing along with Daniel.

"Oh, God. What are we gonna do when this is over?" Henley asks, her eyes looking up at Daniel.

"We're on our own. Our instructions run out after the show." He answers.

"Even if there is no 'Eye' and we spend the next 20 years in jail, I just want to say-" Elizabeth didn't even have to finish her sentence for Daniel to understand, he knew. It scared Elizabeth for a second, not knowing if he felt the same scared her, thats why she kept it to herself for over a year.

"I know. Me too."

Elizabeth stays silent and softly nods her head with slight smile on her face. Cheeks were flushed in embarrassment since she just did confess something that was intended to be told in private but was done in front of people. Yes, Elizabeth has known Henley and Merritt for over a year now, but she still has yet to trust them.

"Oh, a little too sentimental." Merritt says, turning his back away from them. Henley chuckles at the scene she just witnessed.