CHAPTER EIGHT: Harper knows
╭₪₪₪ 🇴🇺🇷 🇱🇴🇻🇪 ₪₪₪╮
DAVID JONES STARED UP AT THE SUBWAY STATION, DEBATING ON GOING IN.
"Just go in." J whispered. "They already know what you are."
David sighed, deciding not to glare at the spirit behind him. Especially since people were around. The blinds were shut, so he had knocked, in case it was locked.
"We're close-David!" Justin called, stopping when he had seen David. The door slammed shut back on him.
"What the-" David asked, looking at the door in confusion. "What the-" he repeated.
The door opened again, Justin having our down the sledgehammer and removed the armed bracelets he had. "David," But, the wizard is still dressed in the silver costume. "Uh, What are you doing here?"
"Well, the Russo family are the only ones who I know that are in the Wizard Realm," David answered.
Justin went to question him again, but was interrupted by a alarm blaring.
"What is that?" Teresa's asked, covering her ears.
Justin pulls David in, not wanting others to hear the alarm. "It's the alarm in the lair. Emergency wizards are coming." Jerry explains. There must be a crisis in the Wizard World." Jerry went to love, struggling to remove the pure from his fake bicep. "Get it off me! Get it off me!"
Justin went to help, but before he did, David lifts a hand, waving it around before making the purse appear on the counter. They all ran into the lair. The Alarm continued to blare until Jerry shut it off.
"Oh. What does that big one do?" Max asked his father.
Jerry flipped the switch, smiling and gestured to the lamp next to them. "It turns on my reading light."
In walked two men in a black tuxedos. "Emergency Wizards with important wizard business."
"Hang on. You guys just walked in here? Where's the usual flash of light, puff of smoke?" Jerry asked.
"Yeah, about that. Someone in the department filed a complaint, so now we just walk in."
"Second hand entry smoke is a proven health hazard." The goblin says.
"The Wizard Council requires the services of Alex, Max, and Justin Russo." The taller one the looked at David. "Oh, good, you're here to, David Jones, you are also needed." He then glanced around the rooms. "Where's Alex?"
"Dude, what is with the noise?" Alex said, entering the room. "Don't you know my Saturday's my 'sleep till Sunday' day?"
"There's an emergency at PopCon and we need all four of you to help,"
"Uh. I do not want to go to PopCon." Alex complained. "That place is filled with geeks and weirdos."
"Focus. This is important business. You wizards love PopCon because they blend in with all the other costumed geeks and weirdos..." he scanned the father of the Russo kids.
"Thank you," Alex yelled.
David laughed, gesturing to his clothing. "I'm not exactly dressed for PopCon."
The men ignored him. "Unfortunately, these wizards use their magic all willy-nilly, this threatening to expose us all."
"Ah! I get it." Justin clapped his hands. "You want us to patrol the convention room floor and put a stop to these hooligans."
"Well, we want you to keep an eye out, but if you want to call it 'patrol', that's fine."
"Awesome! Sweet. I'll get us some walkie-talkies. We'll synchronize our watches. Does everyone know the International Tactical Hand Signals?"
"Mm. I know a hand signal." Alex hummed. The girl didn't do what David had thought, instead lifting up her hand and putting up her first and middle finger; making a peace scene. "Peace! I'm out."
Jerry stopped Alex from walking away.
"You're not getting out of this." The man said. "It's part of your required wizard training."
"And I'll put a hold star on your community service record," the goblin said.
The two exited out of the lair.
Alex laughed. "No. I can't go on patrol at PopCon. I already told Harper I wouldn't go."
"Just do what you always do: make up a reason why you're suddenly going." Justin told her.
"I can't do that. I lie to her about magic all the time. I just lied to her about those stupid brownies. And it's her birthday. I didn't feel good about it."
"Oh! Lookie there, Alex had feelings." Justin sarcastically speaks.
"I know. I'll hide from her."
"Feelings gone," Justin turns around.
"Look, we gotta do now, so you better change quick," Jerry demanded of Alex. "And you," he told David, but didn't look at the demon boy.
"What are you guys gonna dress up as?" Max asked.
"Oh, um, I'm gonna dress up as a super-sleepy annoyed girl," Alex sarcastically replied, before walking out.
╭₪₪₪ 🇴🇺🇷 🇱🇴🇻🇪 ₪₪₪╮
David had decided to do a marvel or DC character. He wasn't sure to do Red Hood, Jason Todd or Spider-man, Peter Parker.
"Are you gonna keep that thing on all day?" Jerry asked Max, gesturing to the mask.
"I have to. If Chico Loco is unmasked, he loses more then his strength. He loses his dignity!"
Justin ripped the mask off Max, making the boy dramatically yell. "I...I am shamed! I have no dignity." He placed his hands over his face, faking a cry before turning his his family and David. "But it was getting hot in there."
"Oh, Jerry, remember our first PopCon?" Theresa asked her husband.
"Yeah, it was in Reno, Nevada and you dressed go like Calico Girl."
"That wasn't me," Theresa says, angrily.
"I'm gonna go buy you a gift," Jerry walked off with her.
"Oh," Alex spoke, surprised. "Hey, there's Hugh Normous."
"Hey, Hugh," The rest greeted.
"What are you doing here?" Alex asked.
"I listen to the Emergency Wizard Scanner and thought I'd help out. Having a giant in the lookout will discourage any wizard horseplay."
"Huh," David hummed. "Thought that's why they brought me. The Nogitsune."
"Oh, that is so cool." Max said at the same time. "When are we gonna meet the giant?"
"You just did. It's me. Look at this tiny comic book in my hand."
Max took the comic book, looking shocked. "Oh, my gosh. You really are a giant." Max walked away.
David waved goodbye, "see you later."
"Wait," Justin says, stepping forward. "We've got to go to the information booth."
"Okay." The other agreed. The same men opted out from behind the desk.
"All right. Let's fan out." The man said, stepping out from behind the desk.
"Fan out'?" Justin questioned. "Hold on. I've got wallow-talkies. And I made a grid of the conversation room floor and assigned everyone sectors. All right. You, here, you're in this sector." Justin pulled out a map. "You, Hugh, you're in this sector."
"Wait? What's the spot back in the corner off the grid?" Alex asked.
"That's the Galatic Kettle Corn stand." Justin replies, annoyed.
"Oh. Harper hates Galactic Kettle Corn. I'm gonna hide over there!" Alex ran toward that section.
"That's not your sector, sister!" Justin yelled, sighing before explaining to Dylan where he was going.
╭₪₪₪ 🇴🇺🇷 🇱🇴🇻🇪 ₪₪₪╮
"Did your sister just use her powers to change into a costume?" David asked Justin.
"Whew!" Alex sighed. "That was close."
"Yeah, that was a close one," Justin crossed his arms.
"Yeah, you're telling me." Alex immediately responded before turning her head. "Wait a minute. Oh, gosh!"
"You're in violation of the costume quick exchange in the first degree. We're taking her in. Grab her."
Hugh and Justin grabbed each an arm of Alex's. "Wizard Code violation 37294. Wait, no mask. 293."
"Wait. How did you see that?" Alex questioned.
"I'm not gonna lie. I've been off sector and off grid, because I suspected you all along."
"We're gonna need that costume for evidence." Hugh told the wizard.
"It's yours," Alex casted a spell, disappearing. The costume was left, glowing.
"Of course, she got away." Justin sighed, annoyed.
"It's shimmering," Hugh pointed out. "She charmed it!"
"Yeah, Hugh, we can see that," David sarcastically replied. "Probably has all of Battle Diva's powers, now."
"Even her power to make you say things twice?Even her power to make you say things twice?" Hugh repeated.
"God, I always hated that power. The only reason it was useful was to get an confession." David announced. "God-" he covered his mouth before he repeating the words.
"We gotta contain this. I never understood that power. I never understood that power." Justin then ran off.
╭₪₪₪ 🇴🇺🇷 🇱🇴🇻🇪 ₪₪₪╮
"Justin, I need to talk to you," Alex said, running up to the three. "Harper, thinks I'm a liar. The only thing I can do is completely come clean and finally tell her I'm a wizard."
Justin and Hugh gasped while David lifted his hands; "I'm not involved in this, I'm just a demon that the wizard realm wants to get rid off."
Justin turned to the other, looking shocked. "No one wants to get rid of you. Or, well, I don't." Then before David could reply, Justin turned back to Alex. Justin grabbed David's wrist. "That's the only thing you can do?"
"Well, it's the first thing I thought of. And you know me, I don't usually keep thinking if things once I think of something."
"You can't tell her that. It's a serious violation of the Wizard Code."
"We May have an exposure code yellow!" Hugh yelled onto the walkie-talkie.
"Hugh, I'm not gonna tel you again,'I'm right next to you," Justin said into his own walkie-talkie.
"No, no, Justin, Harper can keep a secret." Alex defended her friend. "No one would ever know."
"Harper would know. Once one mortal knows something, let's fact it, mortals are blabby." Both Hugh and Justin laughed. "But it's true."
"You should surprise her," Hugh says. "Friendships are all about surprising each other, because no one but your friend really know what you like. Here's some cheese, Justin."
"What a surprise! I really like this."
"I'm leaving," David says, once again turning around, and walking away before Justin could stop him again.
╭₪₪₪ 🇴🇺🇷 🇱🇴🇻🇪 ₪₪₪╮
David's head snapped over when he heard yelling, he stood in her crowd of people. Harper has walked out onto the stage. "Battle Diva, rose to the stars where you belong!" The girl then flying up into the air.
David found Justin and Alex. "What did you do?" He immediately asked Alex.
"Why do you assume it was me?" Alex asked.
"What is going on here?" The man from before asked.
"We have a potential wizard exposure in progress." Justin told him.
"I accidentally gave her a costume that had powers but she doesn't know it." Alex admitted. "She just knows she's flying."
"Oh, but I was wrong for assuming you had done something," David sarcastically replied.
"Everyone, backstage before some gets hurt," the tall dark-skinned man said. David though that perhaps, he should ask for the two's names. They quickly ran back stage. "All right. We don't have much time before people start asking questions."
At that moment, Max ran in. "Guys, why is Harper flying around like she had wizard powers?"
"Less time that I thought," the man said, "Goblin, can you figure out a way to draw everyone's attention."
"All right, well, I'm a goblin. That usually does it." Goblin responded. "Make my hair look a little crazy." The he walked out onto the stage.
"Okay, Everybody, take a position!"
The boys ran, flowing the example of the Goblin. They all grabbed onto the ropes that had appeared. "Hey, I can see the ropes," Goblin says.
"Yep, those are definitely ropes." Alex said, in a terrible attempt to cover up the low. "Cannot hide these. Uh-Uh."
"This is by far the worst illusion I've ever seen." Justin said, monotone. They quickly brought down Harper, who had questioned when the ropes had appeared.
"I think we have a wonder: Harper Finkle as Battle Diva." The lady over the speaker said. They walked off the stage.
David didn't follow the Russo family, instead going on his own as he didn't want to be apart of the whole 'telling Harper about the Wizard world'. He can't get in trouble for something he wasn't there for.
╭₪₪₪ 🇴🇺🇷 🇱🇴🇻🇪 ₪₪₪╮
{2022}