The alarm went off and Zoe groaned. She rolled over and put her hand on it, turning it off again before rolling back over and sighing. She felt an arm slump around her and pull her close, and she smiled. She could smell Effie's shampoo, and it made her feel safe. It was quiet outside, and Zoe felt like she could stay in this bed the whole day, until she realized this was it, this was the anniversary of The Forgotten Tomb. God, had it really been a whole month already? Where had the time gone?
*** 30 DAYS PRIOR Allie was sitting at a slot on the main floor of the Card Shark, putting coin after coin into it, when she felt a stool being dragged up beside her. She turned and looked to her side, surprised to see Molly of all people sitting down beside her, eating a churro. "What are you doing here?" Allie asked. "Getting my nerves up for the opening," Molly mumbled, "I just...I'm terrified. What if something goes wrong?" "What could possibly go wrong at this point? It's already built. It isn't like someone's going to die during construction," Allie said. "Well what if one of the wings hovering over the road collapses because it was rushed and not properly attached and it falls on a busload of special ed children on their way to visit an orphanage?" Molly asked, making Allie look at her with a smirk on her face. "Wow," Allie said, "you're really good at coming up with absolutely bullshit scenarios." "It could happen!" Molly said, taking a bite from her churro. "When has that ever happened, except for that one time at The Prospector?" Allie asked, making Molly look at her in shock; Allie continued, "oh yeah, you never heard about that? That exact thing happened, verbatim, and it was horrible. The parents of all the kids killed themselves, and then the orphanage caught on fire thanks to an arsonist who lost their child in the bus and blamed the orphanage for their loss." Allie looked back at Molly, who was staring at her in annoyance now, and Allie began to laugh. "You're meeeean," Molly whined and Allie patted her on the shoulder. "Come on, you're a professional, you didn't do a slipshod job, alright? It's fine, everything's going to be fine," Allie said, "Now, take this glass of coins and keep piling them into this machine, cause I'm going to order a thing of nachos from the bar." Allie scooted her stool out and walked to the bar, only to find Zoe already there, drinking a soda. Allie seated herself beside Zoe and sighed. "Well, we have a few hours before we have to get ready," Allie said, "How you feeling?" "I'm feeling....nervous, but, ya know, that's probably normal. I just want it to be over," Zoe said, taking a sip, "...is the stuff already there?" "Yeah. I took it all over there last night and put it in my presentation area. The tomb is sealed tight, remember? Nobody can open that son of a bitch if they tried," Allie said, "so there's no real worry about someone discovering it beforehand. Plus we packed the inside with preservatives so it's not like, you know, any smell is going to be noticeable." "...I can't believe we're going to get away with this," Zoe whispered, "it feels so wrong." "I know, I know it does, but hey, like I've said, we didn't have a choice," Allie said, "Sunny was a bad man, perhaps not the worst guy in the world, but he kept me hooked far longer than I should've been just because he made the drugs so easily accessible that it felt like an effort to actually quit." "You're going to your meetings, right?" Zoe asked. "Yep," Allie said, "Haven't had a drink or a pill in weeks. It's...been tough, hah, not gonna lie, but I'm doing it." "I'm proud of you," Zoe said, smiling, surprising Allie. "Th...thanks, I'm proud of you too," Allie said, "Now if you'll excuse me, I need some lunch. Gonna get me some nachos." *** Allie and Zoe drove over to the new Card Shark later that afternoon. Allie was planning to meet Nick there, seeing as he'd agreed to bring over the fireworks for the ending of the show. In the car, Zoe was nervous, pulling on her hair a little, while Allie chewed on gum. "You want some gum?" Allie asked, "it always helps me when I feel antsy. Gives me something to do." "No thanks," Zoe said, "I don't like gum. Too much effort for something that isn't actually edible." "Fair enough." They pulled to a red light, only a few minutes away from the casino. Allie turned the radio down and lit up a cigarette, rolling down her window so she could blow the smoke out and not bother Zoe, not that Zoe had ever made a fuss about it before, but Allie was being polite nonetheless. Sitting there, Zoe felt a knot in her stomach, and she looked at her fingernails, painted salmon. "I have to tell you something," Zoe said, "if we're going to be partners, and friends, and criminals together-" This made Allie chuckle. "-then you should know that I...I started seeing someone," Zoe said, "...romantically." "Oh yeah?" "It's Effie," Zoe said. "Really? Wow. I wouldn't have pegged you for a lesbian," Allie said, "but hey, that's cool, I'm happy for you! So long as she treats you nice and you're enjoying yourself, then more power to you. I'm certainly not one to judge anyone for who they love. In fact, I'm the last person in the world who should be judgemental, really." Zoe looked down at her nails again and smiled. She could never tell her parents that she was in a same sex relationship, but she felt glad to be able to tell Allie. She knew Allie would never judge her for something so normal. As they pulled up to the back of the casino, they saw Nick leaning against his car in a leather jacket and jeans, with a button down collared shirt, smoking his own cigarette. Allie parked and climbed out of her car and looked at him. "Hey look Zoe," she said, "it's The Fonz." Nick smiled and tossed his cigarette on the ground, stomping it out before approaching her. "You got our stuff, right?" she asked. "Yeah, it's in my trunk. Really small but really powerful explosives," Nick said. "Thank you," Allie said, walking over to the trunk and lifting it open, asking "So, how're things?" "They're alright. Just trying to get by day by day. You sound good. You don't smell like alcohol, which I have to admit, is oddly confusing to miss," Nick said, making Allie laugh. "Yeah, well, that's what happens when you get sober I guess. You and Jenny doing okay?" "Jenny? Why would we-" "I heard her on the phone with you," Allie said, turning from the trunk to face him. "Yeah, we were trying to get you a pass to see Domino," Nick said, "Believe me, Jenny isn't interested in me. Nor am I in here. I mean, she's cute, but. She's..." Allie and Nick looked at one another, until Nick looked at the ground and scratched the back of his head. "...she's not you," Nick said softly, making Allie's eyes tear up. She approached him and took his hands in hers, kissing them and pushing her face against his chest. He kissed the top of her head and could hear his voice crack when he spoke again, saying, "...it's been so hard without you. It's been calm, but...boring." "I've missed you so much," Allie whispered, "All I wanted to hear for the last few months was that you still loved me." "Of course I do," Nick whispered back, "I'm happy to hear you're getting help. If there's anyway I can help in that-" Allie leaned up and kissed him, to which he didn't resist one bit. Watching as she unloaded the fireworks, Zoe couldn't help but smile. Seems like everything had come full circle. Like everything had worked out in the end after all. They'd hide their crime, Allie and Nick would get back together, and everyone would be successful at what they did career wise. Nothing could stop them now. By the time the show rolled around that night, and the girls were ready to perform, Zoe no longer felt nervous. She felt...excited. Even though she knew, in the back of her mind, that this trick was partially to hide a murder committed seemingly in her name, she was overjoyed to finally be doing a real big show with her hero, her partner, her best friend. And as she watched the fake tomb be lowered into the base of the building, to be sealed away and never seen again, Zoe couldn't help but smile. All Allie had needed in the end was a friend, someone willing to go that extra mile to help her, and she'd gotten it and Zoe, in return, had gotten someone who finally had her best interests at heart. As the fireworks exploded above the stage, and Allie appeared out of the other tomb - the one the audience thought was the one she'd been lowered in - and cheers erupted, Zoe finally felt like she'd achieved her lifes goal. All she'd ever wanted was to do magic by the side of Allie Meers. Turns out it was worth it after all. *** 30 DAYS LATER "What, you're not coming tonight?" Allie asked on the phone. "I can't," Molly said, "I have book club, sorry. Hopefully that doesn't throw your plans off." "Naw, I'll still have Nick and Zoe and Effie, it's fine. Just wanted to see you," Allie said as she stirred her straw in her drink in the kitchenette of her new suite while Nick finished making a snack platter behind her on the counter; she finished with, "I guess I'll see you sometime this week for bowling." "Absolutely!" Molly said. Allie and Molly said their goodbyes and respectively hung up, leaving Allie to turn around and look at Nick, who smiled at her as he cut some cheese and placed them on crackers with slivers of fish. "Awww, look at my little house husband," she said. "Shut up," he muttered, chuckling as she walked to him and kissed his cheek; after the kiss broke he asked, "When's Zoe and Effie getting here?" "Should be here anytime now," Allie said, checking her watch, "Probably making out in the parking lot." "Nice," Nick said, making Allie laugh. When Zoe and Effie finally did arrive - and subsequently admit that, yes, they were in fact making out in the parking lot - everyone gathered to give a toast to everyones varied success, and all were drinking non alcoholic drinks to support Allie's sobriety. Nick cooked them dinner, a ham and a duck, along with mashed potatoes and asparagus, and as the girls seated themselves, Allie couldn't help but feel at peace. "It's been a long weird year," Allie mumbled as Zoe nodded. "Indeed it has, but it paid off, we're in the new casino, we're a big draw, you're doing better numbers than you've done in ages, partially thanks to my excellence-" Zoe said, making Allie chuckle as she finished with, "-but all in all it was worth it. All that turmoil, tribulation, all that trouble...it was really hard but it was worth it in the end, and I think that's a pretty positive way to look at life right now." "I'm doing so many shows a week it's unbelievable. I guess Tony really did figure out the best possible spot for a more upperclass casino," Effie said as Nick cut some duck off for her and scooted it onto her plate; she added, "and that girl he got to design the place, wow, she did an excellent job." "Molly? Yeah, she's awesome," Allie said, "She called and apologized for not being able to be here." "That's a shame," Nick said, "I wanted to talk to her about renovating my grandparents home." "I'm sure she'd be interested in doing something less commercial for a change," Allie said. Nick seated himself after serving everyone else, and together they all got ready to eat, but Zoe interrupted them and stood up, holding up a glass of sparkling apple cider. She looked around and cleared her throat. "I just wanna say that I am so grateful to be here," she said, "Almost a year ago I was...I was nobody. I was terrified I wouldn't find a place where I would fit in, or make any friends, and then I was assigned to work with Allie, and while it was touch and go at first, uh, it has ultimately proven to be worthwhile. She's the best friend, and mentor, I ever could've asked for, and she allowed me to work at the casino where I was able to meet someone who really showed me I was worth loving." She glanced down at Effie, who blushed and covered her face, making Allie and Nick laugh. Zoe continued. "All I ever wanted to do was magic, I was obsessed with magic, and my parents hated me for it. But it's all Allie ever wanted to do too, and I think we understand that about one another, and I think that's why we work so well together is our commitment to such an underrated and often written off field of entertainment and artistry. Magic isn't just a bunch of card tricks or something, it's also a way to create the illusion of something out of nothing, and that's what it's done for my life. I had nothing, and now I have something. So thank you, Allie Meers, for letting me be your friend, and your partner." Allie nodded, and hugged Zoe. "Thank you for sticking by me," Allie whispered into her ear, "Nobody ever did." "Don't you worry, I'm not going anywhere," Zoe whispered back, "Besides, we have it all now. What could possibly change things?" Little did they know that, while they ate and celebrated, deep down in the base of the casino, under the concrete and the dirt and the metal, where The Forgotten Tomb was lying, a cell phone was beginning to ring. It rang and rang, because nobody could answer it, and when it finally stopped ringing, the man on the other end of the line was frustrated. He sighed and hung up his office phone, turning around in his chair and looking out the large window as the door opened behind him and a woman entered. "Mr Sykes?" she asked, "Sir? Were you able to get a hold of him?" "No. I'm starting to get worried. We've lost contact before, usually when he goes on benders, but never for this long. Elizabeth, I want you to draft up a public response, a uh...a sort of Missing Persons report, if you will, and in a while, if things don't get better, I'll go public with my plea to get help to find him. He's a drug addict, but he's my son, and I love him. I need to know he's okay." "Yes sir Mr. Sykes," his secretary said, as she started to exit the room, before stopping and adding, "Oh, and there's another phone call on the line for you." "Thank you Liz," he said, waiting for her to leave the room before picking it up, "Hello? Hi honey. No I just tried again, but still no answer. It's ringing though, so that's hopeful. If it were going straight to voice mail, I'd be more worried. Don't fret, we'll find him, we always do. Besides, I have a lot of power to use if I want to put that much effort behind this. I am a senator for the state, after all."
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"All we have to do," Allie said as she lined up her shot, her hands gripping the cool metal of the golf club, "is make sure we get it into the right hole, and all our problems will disappear."
She putted gently, sending the ball rolling uphill til it tilted, hugged the rail and then bounced off a piece of plastic lightly, sending it towards the hole, until it dropped inside. Allie stood back, one hand on her hip, admiring her accomplishment. "Yeah, but..." Zoe said, almost whispering, "...she doesn't even know what kind of game she's playing." "Good," Allie said, walking to the hole and picking up her ball, adding, "then there's no way she can lose." *** Construction had begun, and it had been a few weeks, but the time for the new Card Shark opening was fast approaching. Sitting in bed and watching TV while eating ice cream, Allie couldn't help but feel like she was about to attempt to pull off the greatest magic trick of all time. Her mind was racing at all hours now, both terrified and ecstatic at the idea of somehow managing to get away with their plan. Her phone on the bedside table rang, and she answered. "Hello?" she asked. "It's me," Zoe said, "...what are you doing?" "Eating ice cream and watching TV," Allie said, taking another bite. "What're you watching?" "A show about weight loss success stories," Allie said, "I figured this way the two activities cancel eachother out and I don't waste my day." Zoe laughed and then got quiet, saying, "I...I think we have a problem. Molly's car is in the parking lot. I know because I just pulled in, and parked right next to her. She's probably in the casino somewhere, and last time we talked-" "You two talk?" "She calls me on occasion, not sure why, but last time we spoke she said that she's nervous about her abilities to pull off what Tony wants her to pull off. I'm thinking she might be here to pull out of the project," Zoe said, "If that's the case, you need to find her before she reaches him and resigns, or we're in a lot of trouble." "I'm on it," Allie said, hanging up, putting her now empty bowl on the bedside table and throwing a t-shirt and some jeans on before heading out of the suite. She bit her lip and decided to head in the direction of Tony's office, knowing there was only one way to get there and that was her best shot at intercepting Molly if she was going to have any chance to do so. Thankfully, by the time she reached the hallway his office was located on, just as she was passing by the elevator, the doors slid open and Molly stepped out, the two of them nearly bumping into one another and laughing a little. "Hey!" Allie said, acting surprised to see her, "What're you doing here?" "I'm...I'm here on business," Molly said, as she continued to walk, Allie by her side, as she went on saying, "I just don't think I'm right for the job. I've looked over my plans, and I just don't think he'll be satisfied and I don't think I trust myself to make something structurally sound in the area he wants me to and especially not for the cost, and I just-" "Well, Tony isn't in right now," Allie said, lying out of her ass. "He said he'd be in last night," Molly whispered. "Yeah, well, he got called away suddenly," Allie said, "but, uh, he'll be back this evening and we can always talk to him then, right? Hey, how about until then, we go somewhere, get something to eat and, I don't know, play miniature golf to take our minds off things? Have a nice leisurely day out for a change? There's an awesome miniature golf course nearby you should really see." "...I...I guess it couldn't hurt," Molly stuttered. "Great, head back to the elevator and wait for me, I'm going to get my jacket," Allie said. As Molly did what she was instructed, Allie headed swiftly back to the suite, grabbed a coat and called Zoe back. "Everything okay?" Zoe asked. "Yeah...I've got her, we need to convince her to stay on the project, so meet me at The Wagon Wheel," Allie said. "That western themed miniature golf course?" Zoe asked. "Yeah. We're gonna play some minigolf," Allie replied. *** The Wagon Wheel was a local minigolf, located only 15 minutes away from Card Shark. It was a place Allie and Nick had gone to on numerous occasions, often while somewhat drunk, and one of the best family themed areas around, which was exactly the sort of atmosphere the girls needed today. It was moderately crowded, but it wasn't overwhelming, and the girls decided to have some lunch there first before heading out to the games. Sitting inside, eating pizza and cheese sticks, Zoe couldn't stop looking around. "You know," she said, biting into a cheese stick and pushing the cheese hanging out her lips into her mouth, "I've never been here. I've driven by it a whole bunch, but I've never actually been here. I did go minigolfing a lot as a kid, but...never came here." "I used to go minigolfing now and then too," Molly said, "...my first boyfriend and I went often, because it was one of the few places my parents would allow me to go without adult supervision, and it was public so nothing unexpected could happen. That being said, just because a place is public doesn't mean you can't find privacy within it. We made out inside a windmill a lot." Zoe and Allie laughed loudly, making Molly feel more accepted. "I don't think I realized, at the time," Molly continued, "that those would be the days I'd really remember. You always think you're going to remember the big days - graduation, weddings, birthdays, funerals - but no, the days you actually recall most vividly are the ones that seemed the most generic and mundane. Going to a movie with some friends, or renting movies with your dad for the weekend, or making out in a minigolf windmill. Those are the days you'll wish you had realized were so important later on in life." A hush came over the table and Allie sighed. "I know what you mean," she said softly, sipping her soda from her plastic cup, "I didn't go minigolfing a whole lot as a kid or whatever, but you're absolutely right. I have this very clear memory of doing things with my folks when I was a kid, especially my dad. We used to build things together in the garage, especially once I got into magic, and he helped me build props. I guess you just have to find the right people and the right moments will follow." Zoe glanced at Allie when Molly started looking around at the kids playing arcade games indoor. Zoe knew exactly what Allie was doing. She was emotionally manipulating Molly into feeling accepted, as if they were the right people and this was the right moment. She knew it was necessary, but fuck if it didn't make her feel sleazy. She also knew Allie wasn't wholeheartedly manipulative, and she likely did in fact believe the things she was saying, but she was beginning to have trouble telling when she was being sincere and when she was being a fraud. Zoe had never really thought about it before but, to be a good magician, one has to be a good liar, and that was what Allie had learned to do well. She'd learned to hide her drinking, her drug habits, her problems from the world, and still come across as somewhat professional. She was a liar, and an expert one at that. Suddenly Thea's warnings were starting to seem a little more reasonable... "Well," Allie said, "How about we get to it?" The girls got their balls, clubs and headed outside. The first hole was of a miniature saloon. You had to get the ball through the doors, and it would wind up in a lower area where you could shoot for a hole in one. Sometimes, if you hit it just right, it'd roll right into the hole in the lower area. Molly offered to go first, and as she set her ball down on the faux grass, she couldn't help but remember the last time she'd been on a minigolf course. *** "I don't think I'm good enough," she whispered. "Of course you are," James said, holding her hands, "you're absolutely good enough. What makes you think you aren't?" "Because if I were, things wouldn't have turned out this way," Molly whispered, "...things would be different." "You need to go to college, you need to build places, that's what you're good at, hell, it's what you're great at," James said, "besides, it'll give you a chance to get away from this place and the awful people who inhabit it." Molly smiled a little as she wiped her eyes on her long sleeves of her sweater. She'd always appreciated James, and she was happy to be spending her last free days in her home state here with him, inside this windmill. James scooted beside her and put his arm around her, pulling her in to hold her. "This was the same windmill," she whispered, "....this is where he did it." "I know." "I never wanna see this windmill again," she continued softly, "I hate it now. I hate windmills." "Then go build something that's the opposite of clean and energy efficient, like a casino or something," James said, making her laugh. Sure, her first boyfriend had abused her here, but her best friend had made her feel better, and that was something she was always grateful for. She swore then and there that she'd build something better, something that wouldn't be used to house such evil, and then she met Allie Meers. *** "God damn crap sucking bucket of shit faces!" Zoe shouted, slamming her club onto the green as a family walked by, the parents holding their hands over their childrens ears and glaring at her. She waved politely, and mumbled, "...sorry." Allie cracked up, "Jesus, I don't think I've ever heard you swear like that," she said. "Well, when I know I can do something but I don't do it right, I get very annoyed," Zoe said, "I'm all about perfection, it's part of what drove me into magic, because magic is all about do it right or you everyone will know you did it wrong." "Well put, and not incorrect," Allie said, setting her ball up for a shot. It was the 5th hole now, and unsurprisingly, given her statements about playing often as a teenager, Molly was in the lead. Zoe sat down on the bench beside the hole, looking at Molly tallying up the score and chewing nervously on her lip. "Everything okay?" Zoe asked. "Yeah, I just...maybe I should quit my job and play professional minigolf," Molly said, "is that even a thing? Can you do that? Is that even a career option?" "Why would you quit?" Zoe asked. "I just don't feel like I can do what Tony wants properly, within the time limit and safely under regulation standards. I feel like I'd have to cut a lot of corners, and it might come back to haunt me if I do. I don't know. I want to do the job, but I'm so nervous about being the wrong person for it. Then again, I always get this way before a big job, so maybe it's just my general building nerves coming out to play." Molly and Zoe looked up to see Allie cursing under her breath, taking another shot and missing again. "I think you should stick with it. Prove yourself wrong," Zoe said, "because if you give in, all you'll really be doing is allowing someone else who likely doesn't care as much as you to do something you probably could've done excellently yourself, and then you might scare yourself off doing other projects as well." Molly smiled and nodded. "...yeah, yeah I guess you're right," she said, "thanks." Zoe had also manipulated Molly, making her no better than Allie, but she'd done it by building Molly up instead of outright scaring her emotionally, and she felt that that at least made somewhat of a difference between herself and Allie. As they watched Allie continually fuck up her last shot, Zoe couldn't help but feel like what they were doing was immoral, but then again, they'd already committed murder. How much more trouble could lying actually get them into? *** By the 12th, and final, hole, Molly was winning with no doubt about that. Zoe was in second place, and Allie was far behind in what would generally be considered third, if she were actually still viable to be placed. But she didn't care. All that really mattered to her was proving to Molly that she had friends, and that they cared about her well being, and getting her to not back out of the job she'd accepted. As she watched Molly finish the hole and excuse herself to use the restroom, Allie stepped up to take her shot at it. "All we have to do," Allie said as she lined up her shot, her hands gripping the cool metal of the golf club, "is make sure we get it into the right hole, and all our problems will disappear." She putted gently, sending the ball rolling uphill til it tilted, hugged the rail and then bounced off a piece of plastic lightly, sending it towards the hole, until it dropped inside. Allie stood back, one hand on her hip, admiring her accomplishment. "Yeah, but..." Zoe said, almost whispering, "...she doesn't even know what kind of game she's playing." "Good," Allie said, walking to the hole and picking up her ball, adding, "then there's no way she can lose." "This just feels so slimy and underhanded," Zoe muttered, making Allie turn around and look at her. "I know," Allie said, "I don't...I don't like it either. Molly's actually really cool and seems like a genuinely good person, but if she backs out, we won't have the insider information into the building that we require, and we need that kind of access. I've told you before, and I'll say it again right now, I won't let her be held accountable for anything." "I know you say that but you can't possible keep that promise," Zoe whispered, "what if something comes up that makes you have to break it?" "What could possibly do that?" Allie asked, "Zoe, just trust me, okay? I'll keep everyone shielded from blame, and I'll take the fall myself if I have to." Zoe wanted to believe her, and on some level she did, but she couldn't shake this feeling that things would somehow not go right. Guess only time would tell. After the girls finished, they piled back into Allie's car and headed back to the casino. While driving, Molly - sitting in the backseat - was thinking back to her time in the windmill, and realized that she wanted to create places that brought joy instead of pain. She wanted to make places that would be used to bring fun instead of sadness. Zoe was right, she realized, she had to take this job head on and make the best of it. Especially if, as Zoe had put it, she allowed it to fall into the hands of someone who didn't care as much, and something terrible happened, she'd never forgive herself. Lying in bed that night, her sleep mask on and the white noise machine making the sounds of a calm forest beside her, Molly couldn't help but feel grateful that she had friends like Allie and Zoe, who were looking out for her best interests, completely unaware they were looking out more for their own interests than hers. Molly had rarely had female friends, and she was very happy to say she now did, even if she wasn't knowledgeable about their reasons. Molly rolled onto her side and thought about her time golfing that night, and smiled. She'd had the best score, and that bolstered her confidence. Yeah, Zoe was right, she thought, she really could make this new casino work. After all, she thought, why would her friends lie to her? *** Allie was bringing Zoe a bowl of ice cream in the living room, before climbing over the couch and seating herself. Zoe thanked her for the ice cream and started to dig in while Allie stuck her own spoon in her mouth and shuffled her jacket off her back before leaning back, sighing and starting in on her own bowl. "I feel bad," Zoe mumbled, looking at her bowl, "I feel like such an awful person. We just lied, right to her face, and have gotten her involved in something super awful and immoral." "Zoe, look, I don't feel great about it either, but we didn't have any other options," Allie said, "...but I promise, as I've always said, nothing will happen to either you or her. Besides, who's going to even care if someone does find him? Sunny was a drug dealer, it's not like anyone but his own clients are going to come looking for him, and why would they risk their own lives by going to the cops?" "You say that as if he didn't have family. Drug addicts, drug dealers, they're still people, Allie, and they have people who care about them somewhere," Zoe said. "I mean, sure, okay that's fair, maybe I'm being a little mean about it, but still," Allie said, turning her attention to the TV, adding, "I was a drug addict, and I'm trying to get my shit together, and have people who care about me, so I suppose it's unfair to say that sort of thing about others who are like me." "...so when do we start practicing?," Zoe said. "Who knew hiding a body would be so difficult?" Zoe asked, lying upside down on Allie's couch in the penthouse. Allie was pacing, chewing on her hair, nodding at anything Zoe said.
"The thing is," Allie said, turning on her heel and pointing at Zoe, "it's not that it's hard, it's about doing it so it's undetectable. We have to get him into the other sarcophagus but somehow convince nobody else to look inside it once we do. We have to get someone to move it for us, someone we trust, someone we know won't open it even by accident." "What about Molly?" Zoe asked. "I don't want to drag her into this any further, she's a good person," Allie said. "I'm a good person, and you dragged me into this," Zoe said, turning right side up on the couch, looking at Allie. "He dragged you into this, not me, okay? I need that distinction to be very recognized," Allie said, "I could ask Nick. I trust Nick, and he wouldn't question me if I gave him explicit directions." Zoe sighed and checked her watch, running her free hand through her frizzy hair. Allie stopped in her place and lowered her brow. "I'm sorry, am I taking up your time?" Allie asked. "No, no, I'm just curious what time it is. I'm getting kind of hungry, maybe we could get some lunch up here," Zoe said. "That," Allie said, pointing at her, "is not a bad idea, actually. I could certainly order us up some room service. I know I always think more clearly after I eat." "I actually have problems with my blood sugar, and if I don't eat regularly I could have a seizure," Zoe said. "I didn't know that," Allie said, landline in one hand, her other hand firmly on her hip. "Not a lot of people do, it's not exactly something I prefer to parade around," Zoe remarked, lying back down on the couch, "...how about we just...seal it? We just straight up seal the thing? I mean, it's a prop, right? People expect it to be empty or hollow or whatever, so why not just seal the damn thing up? They do that to actual sarcophaguses." "Sarcophagi," Allie said. "What?" "The word is sarcophagi," Allie said, "The plural, that's what you meant." "Thanks teach," Zoe said, making Allie smirk. "Yeah, hello?" Allie asked into the phone, "This is Allie Meers. Can I get some room service up here? Just send up the entire lunch menu. Thank you very much." Allie hung up and sighed, leaning against the wall and running her hands down her face, groaning loudly. Zoe shut her eyes and put her notebook over her face, letting her arms hang down behind her head, off the couch. The girls were tired. They'd been doing this for 3 weeks in a row, and they desperately needed a break. The new casino wouldn't be opening for a while still, so they had plenty of time to figure it out, but until then, they couldn't let themselves get stressed out over it all. "How about after we eat, we just...go downstairs and gamble?" Allie asked. "Now that's a plan I like," Zoe said. *** Sitting together at adjoining slots downstairs after eating, each one pumping quarters into their machines, the girls felt a bit of relief and tension lift from them. Zoe put her soda to her lips and sipped, then wiped her arm on her sleeve and popped another quarter into the slot. "You know," Zoe said, "if you'd asked me when I was hired to work with you what I'd be doing in a few months, it certainly wouldn't be any of this, I'll tell you that much right now." "I'm just happy you stayed," Allie said, "...a lot of people don't. I was beginning to think I was the problem. I mean, I know I'm part of the problem, but I don't think I'm the whole problem." "I don't like being left either, or leaving. It's bad enough not being able to really talk to my parents anymore, so it's nice to know I have my sister, and you," Zoe said, as Allie eyed her; she'd mentioned her parents briefly in passing before, and this made Allie all the more curious. "So, if you don't mind me asking, what exactly happened between you and your folks?" Allie asked. "God, where do I even start?" Zoe asked, "I guess I should say that after seeing you perform that night, I became even more invested in doing magic than I had been prior, and so I started performing at my family events. One time, when I was 14, I did my cousin's birthday, and..." A pause. Zoe sighed deeply, shut her eyes and continued, a bit more sullenly now than before. "...and I needed a volunteer so I asked a younger cousin who was really into what I was doing to help, and I...I thought I'd learned the trick right. I thought that I'd, like, prepared enough and stuff, but I had never tried it with another person, and that was my mistake. It was just supposed to be a little fireball." "oh fuck," Allie whispered, putting her hand over her mouth, knowing what was coming. "And before I knew it," Zoe continued, "it was out of control, and their clothes and hair were on fire and...they were pretty okay in the end, thankfully, with only minor burns, but...my parents never wanted me to do magic again. For a short time even I didn't want to. But then I remembered what'd happened to you, and that only made me feel like I could understand you even more because we'd both now been involved in something awful during a show." "Zoe, I am so sorry, that is just-" "They won't really talk to me now, and my sister took me in because they won't let me come home," Zoe said, a few tears rolling down her cheeks, "but, I mean, that's okay I guess. I like my sister anyway. But, I know what it's like, to be a criminal in one way or another in someone else's eyes. I feel like I'm just bad luck, and bad things keep happening to the people around me because of me." "You are NOT bad luck, Zoe," Allie said, "What happened then wasn't your fault and what happened with him wasn't either." "You said it yourself. You did it FOR me," Zoe said. "I mean, sure, yes, but he was a problem in my life long before you showed up," Allie said, "You just happened to be worth doing something about him. I...I never managed to protect myself from the shit he got me hooked on, the shit he supplied me with regularly, and I never cared enough about myself to try anyway. But I wasn't about to let him take away from my best friend." Zoe smiled and looked at Allie, her hand on Zoe's shoulder lovingly. "Thanks Allie," she whispered. "We're partners, okay? We have to look out for one another, no matter the cost," Allie said. No matter the cost. Even if the cost was too high to justify, as they'd find out. The girls finished their drinks, picked up their jars of coins and headed back to the bar, seating themselves on stools while they waited for a plate of nachos to split and more sodas. Allie was making small talk with the woman beside her, when she noticed Zoe was staring at the TV bolted in the upper corner of the bar. Allie looked at her, then at the TV, then back at Zoe. "Hey, what is it?" she asked. "Look at this," Zoe said. Allie asked for the remote, and when she was handed it, she turned the volume up so they could hear. There was a woman in a suit standing outside an apartment building somewhere, with police cars and an ambulance parked behind her, just barely in frame. They came in mid sentence. "...they're saying now that there's 23 bodies hidden somewhere in the vicinity of this apartment complex," the reporter said, addressing the camera directly as she pointed to the building behind her, "The owner of the building, one Miss Claire Driscoll, is the culprit behind the slayings, who is now in police custody. She is one of the most successful female serial killers we've seen to date. From early reports, it seems that Driscroll managed to hide the bodies inside of walls, after sealing them in plastic collapsible coffins she got from a friend with a plastic extruding factory. More details will be released as they come to light. I'm Kim Dwyers, for-" Allie pushed the mute button as she and Zoe slowly looked at one another, and smirked. *** Molly was sitting in her kitchen eating a sandwich and doing some preliminary sketches of the new casino when she heard her doorbell ring. She sighed, stood up, wiped her hands on her outfit and headed to the door to answer it. Standing there were Allie and Zoe. "Oh," Molly said, smiling a little, "hi guys. What're you doing here?" "So, we need some supplies for our upcoming performance at the new place," Allie said, "Can we come in?" "Yeah, of course, I'm having lunch so just follow me into the kitchen," Molly said, shutting the door behind them and beginning to return to the kitchen as she asked, "what kind of supplies?" "Well, we figure you're an architect, so you must know how things are built," Allie said, "We wanna fill one of our props up with trinkets from the casino and our lives, kind of like a time capsule, and then seal it and lower it into the base of the casino so it won't be dug back up, you know?" "That's a neat idea," Molly said, sitting back down, picking up her sandwich and taking a bite. "Yeah," Allie said, seating herself across from Molly now, continuing, "so we figured you'd know how to do that sort of thing. You have all kinds of sealants, right? You know, you put bricks together, lay a foundation, shit like that, so what do you propose we use?" Allie asked. The way she'd explained it to Zoe was simple: if they get Molly to help them without her realizing she's helping them, she cannot be held accountable. After seeing the news report, Zoe's plan of somehow sealing the coffin up made perfect sense, and now all they needed was a professional to, with no awareness of the fact that a crime was being covered up, help them in their hour of need. Molly was that person. But Zoe didn't feel exactly great about it. Molly was a perfectly nice, normal lady who just wanted to build places for a living. She felt guilty for dragging her into their mess, and especially so against her judgement and knowledge. She felt like, if she was going to be involved, she should have the right to know, but she also knew Allie was right in the sense that if she knew, she'd either - best case scenario - decline to help or - worst case scenario - potentially report them for what they'd done. Now, standing in the kitchen, Zoe once again felt like she did when she'd accidentally set her cousin ablaze. Here she was, right back where she started, using someone without them knowing the consequences of their actions, or really, the consequences of working with her. "Well," Molly said, "what you're really going to want is..." And just like that, Molly was in, even if she didn't know it. After leaving Molly's, the women drove for a bit, went through a drive-thru and then parked somewhere high up on a scenic spot that overlooked the entire Vegas strip. Sitting in the car, Zoe couldn't help but feel simultaneously sick and enraptured. What had her life become? Just a few short months ago she was nothing more than a helper, an assistant, and now she was a full fledged partner involved in covering up a murder, a murder that was done in her name nonetheless. Life sure was weird. Sitting there, drinking their slushies together, Zoe felt like she was lucky at least to have a friend who really had her back. "You promise this is going to go fine and nobody will ever find out?" Zoe asked. "I can promise anything you want," Allie replied, making Zoe smirk, as she continued, "but yes, I think it's safe to say that, at the moment, we're out of the woods. Once the sarcophagus is fully buried, the woods will also be razed behind us and something else, likely a new high rise high rent low quality build apartment complex, will be built in its stead." "...and what if we're found out? What do we do then?" Zoe asked. "Listen, you have no claim to what happened. You weren't even in the room when it went down, okay? You can call yourself fully innocent, and I would take all the blame. Besides, I'm the one with a reputation, and a questionable one at that these days, so it'd be totally believable that I'd committed this crime. It's not like my drug problem was exactly a well kept secret. Nobody would be particularly shocked, I think," Allie said, "Zoe, no matter what happens, you will not go down for this. I promise you that much above all else." This made Zoe feel a bit better. She was almost as innocent as Molly, in a sense, and Allie was helping her swallow that horse sized lie, even if she nearly choked on it. "You know," Zoe said, sipping her slushy, "Vegas is really beautiful from far away." "Yeah, it is," Allie said, leaning her chair back and looking through the sunroof, as Zoe followed her lead; she went on, "when I first started out, I used to come up here a lot, and then after the accident I used to come up here with Nick all the time, and now, here we are. It's not like it's a very secret spot, but...I feel like I can appreciate it more than others. People like to say these big cities are the blame for the horrible shit that happens within them. New York, LA, Vegas, all cities are excess and greed, but...the city is just that, a city. It isn't sentient. The problem is the people. We often forget that." "Yeah," Zoe said, "...yeah, I guess you're right." Allie clinked her plastic slushy cup against Zoe's and smiled. "Here's to pulling off a disappearing act," Allie said. All Zoe had ever wanted to do was magic. All she'd ever wanted to do was magic with her hero, Allie Meers. "Look where dreaming gets you", she thought. |
ABOUT
Allie Meers is what she dreamed of being since she was a little girl...a successful Vegas magician. The only problem now is she can't make all her problems disappear; Allie grapples with her strained relationship, crippling addictions and FBI agents on her tail, all while trying to stay at the top of her career. Archives
December 2023
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