***
Or so he thought. Two weeks later, Blaine was walking through Central Park, debating what he would do with the choices his granddad had presented to him. His granddad was a strong man, the back bone of their family, and an amazing teacher. He’d taught Blaine everything he knew, how to harness his power, how to make it grow, and how important it was to stay true and virtuous. Now his granddad wanted him to become his apprentice, he wanted to know that Blaine would step into his shoes once he was gone. Normally the torch would be passed along to the eldest son, Blaine’s father, but Blaine was much more powerful than his father so it was only natural that Blaine becomes the new teacher and mentor. It was a big role to fill though and he wasn’t sure if he was ready for it. He was only twenty-three years old and felt like he had so much more of the world to see before he settled down in such a way.
Lost in thought, he almost missed what was taking place in one of the small enclaves of the park. There was a small gathering of people just at the end of a tree covered path, making it difficult to see what they were watching but the ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs’ intrigued him enough to have him joining the group. Once he got closer he saw that it was a magic show. He almost dismissed it; sure the performer was nowhere near good enough to hold his attention, when something about the magician gave him pause. It was just past dusk, the glow of the moon and the street lamps being the only light in the park, so it was hard to make out the figure. There was a feeling though, deep inside, that made him move forward and around a few people, getting closer in hopes of identifying why this person seemed so familiar.
What he saw was a woman, tall and thin yet curvy in all the most important places. He knew this because the outfit she wore left little to the imagination. She wore a fitted long sleeved, collared shirt that was unbuttoned enough to show a good amount of her cleavage and the lacy black bra holding her in place. Over the white shirt was an equally fitted black vest, pulling tight around her stomach and ribs, further emphasizing her chest. Paired with that, appeared to be nothing more than solid black panties, or maybe a bathing suit bottom. He wasn’t sure what it was but he was sure he liked the way it looked on her. His gaze traveled down from there to see her impossibly long and shapely legs incased in black fishnet hose and then finally coming to rest on the bright, red high heels on her feet. Her body was perfect and the outfit she wore showed it off amazingly well, but it was her hair and face that held most of his attention.
Flowing around her shoulders and down her back was fiery, red hair that was a wild mess of curls, giving her a uninhabited and sexy look. It perfectly accented her pale skin and angelic bone structure but he could only see half of what he knew was a beautiful face because the other half was covered by a sexy black and red mask. It covered her from her forehead to just below her nose, leaving only pink lush lips and bright green eyes visible. It was enough. He knew without a doubt this was his mystery girl and that he wanted to get to know her even more now.
He watched her show until the end, impressed with how much of a natural she was. Her tricks were flawless, almost as if she were performing real magic. This had him intrigued for other reasons. Once the show was over, he watched from a distance as she packed her things up and took compliments and questions from her audience. She was shy and seemed to be in a hurry so he maintained his position but decided he would follow her a bit to see if he could find out more about this girl that loved magic and seemed to have a natural gift for it.
Once he found out where she lived, it was much easier to find out other things about her. Her name was Katherine Rebecca Wellington and she was a student, attending law school and apparently on a ridiculously fast track, too. It seemed she was expected to work at the same law firm her parents owned once she graduated. Seemed like a lot of pressure to him, but who was he to judge? The few times he spotted her out socially, she was either with her parents or a man. He found out this was her a boyfriend, someone he knew he would hate if he ever had the displeasure of actually meeting. This helped him to keep his distance, though. He tried not to follow her, it felt too much like being a stalker, but he seemed to run into her often. She was at every magic show within a fifty mile radius of Manhattan, as was he. He wouldn’t admit he went to them all in hopes of seeing her or how pleased he was when she showed up to each one alone.
Eventually his thoughts of her and need to see her became too much to bear, so he sought out his granddad’s advice.
They were in the classroom Blaine’s family used to teach lessons and study. It was located on the immense property in upstate New York his family had owned for generation. It was secluded and secure within the mountains, giving them the privacy they needed to practice their magic.
“How do you feel when you see this girl, son?” his granddad asked as he closed books and placed them on the bookshelves in front of him.
“It’s hard to describe. It’s nothing I’ve ever felt before and it’s not just attraction. I feel this connection, a current of electricity that flows through me…” Blaine shook his head, finding it difficult to describe.
His granddad set the books in his hands down and turned toward his grandson, giving Blaine his full attention. “Is she a magic user?”
“I don’t think so, but she seems to really like it,” Blaine chuckled softly at the memory of her wistful looks toward the magicians on stage and the memory of the numerous times she was caught taking notes or snapping photos when it was prohibited. “I even saw her perform her own little show in Central Park. It was cute.”
His granddad tilted his head and studied his grandson, a small smile on his face before he straightened and became more serious. “I think you have yourself a magic user on your hands there, son, she just doesn’t know it.”
“How do you know?”
“Well, she loves magic, which is normal, but to the point of putting on her own shows? Was she any good?” he didn’t even wait for an answer. “Of course she was. Then the feelings you’re describing when you’re near her–that’s pretty normal when two similar souls meet.”
Everything his granddad said made sense until the last part. At hearing those words, Blaine’s head jerked back, “What does that mean?”
His granddad winked and turned his back on Blaine, continuing to straighten his books. “You’ll find out soon enough. Watch out for this girl, maybe bring her around, and introduce her to the group. She may be interested.”
Blaine knew the end of a conversation when he heard it.