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What is magic?

Is it something you simply believe in with the hopes of seeing one day or is it something that lives within our day to day lives?

Think about it, really think about it for a moment.

Magic does exist around us everyday and while most sights of magic is explained with the technical support of Science; it could still be classified as magic.

Magic doesn't need to carry logic or control, magic is everywhere and nowhere.

Their is magic in a smile, magic in a tear and most of all, their is magic in passion; you just need to allow yourself the opportunity to see it with your own eyes.

So stop for a moment, push away the thoughts of logic and see the magic.

Because seeing isn't believing, believing is seeing.

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Walking down the streets of Brooklyn, New York City is a young woman with a bright smile though she never directly looked at anyone in particular, those who passed by and caught a glimpse of it would smile too. This woman of light brown skin, dark silky black hair that fell down her back freely and bright chocolate brown eyes that seemed to pull you in and wonder just who this person might be. And this approachable presence is what made her passion easier to show to the world as she stops by the side of the street and steps up onto an empty bench. "Who wants to see a magic trick?" The young woman calls to the busy New York crowd catching the attention of parents and children.

"Hello, I am Imogen Torres. A local yet overly friendly resident of the area," Imogen introduced as she held her arms out to keep the attention precisely on her. People marvelled at the woman as cards slipped into her hand from seemingly nowhere, she proceeded to do a few different tricks with her cards before deciding she had gained enough attention to her. "I shall need a volunteer for this trick," Imogen informed the crowd as she hummed thinking very carefully about who she would choose, her eyes landing on a sweet girl with her arm slightly raised yet lower than the rest.

"You!" Imogen pointed as she slowly approached, kneeling down to the young girl with a soft smile. "Okay, I want you to pick any card from the deck but you can't show me, okay?" Imogen informed her, the girl nodded with an eager smile before watching as Imogen did one more shuffle of her cards before holding them out face down for the girl to pluck a card. The young girl thought for a moment, she tried to keep a straight face as Imogen watched with a grin enjoying the wonder in her young eyes. The little girl pulled a card from the left free and placed it against her chest, Imogen winked as she stepped back and shuffled her cards.

"You may show others now," Imogen informed her as the woman stepped back and playfully covered her eyes making the children laugh. "O-tay," The little girl called out as she kept the card against her chest, Imogen uncovered her eyes and moved back towards her, she knelt down and held out the cards again. "Okay, now slip it back into place," Imogen instructed and the girl did as she said. Imogen shuffled the cards before pretending to listen to them, she thought carefully before gasping dramatically. "I know!" Imogen exclaimed, she shuffled through the cards before throwing them up into the air; all of the cards sparked into flame before evaporating.

One single card floated back down and Imogen picked it up, she looked for a moment before turning it around to the girl and crowd revealing a two of spades, "Is this your card?" The little girl furrowed her brows and shook her head, "No..." Imogen pretended to be confused before she pointed towards the sky and gasped, she began shaking the card and they all watched in awe as the card seemed to change right in front of them. "Is this your card?" Imogen asked a second time but the girl shook her head at the sight of a King. "All right, one last try..." Imogen said before she looked around at the crowd.

"You, ma'am... could you check behind your ear for me, please?" Imogen asked an older woman standing in the back, the woman was confused when everyone turned to her and the teenage boy standing next to her reached up and pulled a folded card free from behind his mothers ear. "What the?" The teenger breathed out as his mother looked from him to Imogen who smiled sweetly. "Just a moment!" Imogen told the teenager before looking back at the little girl, "Could you look to that building for me?" The little girl nodded and turned to a tall building nearby, they all watched in awe as the lights changed to reveal an eight of clubs.

"Now, does that match the card within your hand?" Imogen asked, the teenager unfolded the card within his hand to reveal the replica card to the image on the building. "So, was that your card?" Imogen asked the little girl who nodded her head, the crowd immediately began clapping and cheering as Imogen bowed to them. "Thank you!" Imogen called out as she pulled flower petals from her pockets and threw them into the air, grinning as they all watched in awe at them sparkling like stars in the air. "Always remember that seeing isn't believing, believing is seeing," Imogen told the crowd before winking at the girl, disappearing from the crowd as the sparklers surrounded her.

Imogen watched from a small distance as the crowd began talking to one another, searching for the woman only to find nothing left behind. The little girl looked up at her father with wide eyes and a grin on her face telling him that it was the best day of her life. And Imogen Torres simply turned and walked away from the mesmerized crowd whistling an old familiar tune as she felt lighter on her feet. Her next stop was another trick, something more simple to end of her day. The sight of wonder in the eyes of others always made Imogen feel happier, she loved seeing the way people awed at magic the same way she once did; no need for answers, just a simple moment in time where anything is possible.

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As Imogen was cleaning up her cards from the ground, they were all faced down except for one that had been the card plucked from the deck by a child. Her attention was taken when she noticed the last card was not a part of her deck, she grabbed it and thanked the remaining crowd before walking away; she had refused any money for her show as that wasn't the reason she did it. Walking away, Imogen flipped the card over and grinned wide at the sight of a tarot card in her hand. "Oh my Loki..." Imogen breathed out as she quickly looked around the area, she frowned upon not spotting anyone before shaking her head and turning her attention back on the card in her hand.

The image was of a woman holding the jaw of a lion, the number VIII on it along with the word "Strength" on it. The young woman of twenty-one years felt her smile grow knowing the meaning behind the card; a symbol of strength and courage along with showing that the holder is compassionate and is capable to remain calm and strong through moments of immense struggle. However, the holder can be so selfless that they put others ahead of them even if it at their own expense. Imogen flipped the card over again and noticed the writing on the back of it, she smiled as she read the worlds written neatly on the tarot card.

MARCH 29TH
4:44 PM
45 EAST EVAN ST.
NY, NY

Above the note was the familiar drawing of The Eye which happened to be a secret society of magicians and anyone who is anyone worked their hardest to be invited to join them. Imogen hadn't been outright trying to be recruited by such a strict yet pure society of magicians but this was an opportunity she wouldn't walk away from. She had two days until she was required to be at that location, it gave her time to prepare for whatever quest The Eye would be sending them on in order to earn their place within the magician society. And as she reached her apartment, she smiled happily feeling eager for the next step in her life.

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Imogen Torres was only nine years old when she was given her first deck of cards, the golden reflective items had become so valuable to Imogen that she carried them everywhere with her but never used them for her tricks. The one who gave it to her was her grandfather, a man that adored magic with all of his heart however, he had come to find that debunking it was much more interesting. Thaddeus Bradley was what some may call, a failed magician however, that couldn't be farther from the truth. Imogen knew her grandfather adored magic but the only real magic he claimed to have witnessed was the love he had with Imogen's grandmother before she passed.

Thaddeus had meet Maria Gomez when they were young adults stepping into the harsh world of reality. Maria had shown Thaddeus the light behind magic and created that spark within him even if his time as a magician was not all he hoped for. But when Maria grew sick, Thaddeus lost his spark for magic and one failed trick matched with a new uprising magician that bested him left him spiralling. And such only worsened when Maria Gomez-Bradley passed away leaving the world a dull place for Thaddeus. But he still had his daughter and she become his focus until she was old enough to face the world on her own.

Carmen Bradley wasn't known to the public but she loved making the toys a magician would use for the crowds of onlookers. And she loved watching them do so even if she knew every detail of the trick, she still adored the spark. A trait she would pass down to her loving and compassionate daughter, Imogen Torres. Imogen grew up in a happy household, she was surrounded by magic and love right up until her mother passed away from the same illness that took their sweet Maria from them. Thaddeus took Imogen in and feared the young girl would soon fall to the same thing however, with each day that passes, that seems to be something that may skip a generation.

And despite the fact that Thaddeus spends his career now debunking magicians and their tricks, he adored his granddaughters magic and the ways she dared to cross the lines between reality and fantasy. He would never debunk his granddaughters magic, something his viewers knew and understood completely. And so he would watch from a distance, marvelling at the beauty of her work while internally debunking it; he is still a man with a job. So when Imogen called him to inform him that the card had indeed shown up in her life, he was happy for her and ready for her next steps in life.

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Rosemary Speaks

And that is the first chapter!
You've been introduced to Imogen and her family. I couldn't help but connect her to Thaddeus Bradley, I love Morgan Freeman.

How are we liking Imogen so far?
Many OCs I see on Wattpad are "harsh" or cynical... I didn't want that for my baby!

Where do you think her dynamic sits within the Five Horsemen?

What's your opinion on her tarot card being the Strength card?

Thoughts, Suggestions or Questions?

See you in the next chapter!