their mirrors, they saw the face of the other looking back.
The illusion ( but was it really an illusion , Penny wondered) had only lasted a few seconds, and the girls left the stage laughing and clutching the mirrors in their hands, which Tovar insisted they keep as gifts.
He’d repeated the mirror trick a half-dozen times, choosing his volunteers from a forest of raised hands. He matched Katie with one of her friends, then Rooster and his older brother. Rooster had seemed impressed—until his brother muttered something about cheesy tricks and dropped his own mirror in the grass while walking away from the stage. Finally, he called on Penny and Zoe.
Penny had watched Tovar closely throughout the show, but he had given her and Zoe no more than a passing glance until they stood onstage to either side of him.
“Young lady,” he said, bowing slightly as he passed the first mirror to Zoe. His movements were sharp and twitchy, his manners forced and curt; Penny thought that despite his profession, he didn’t like kids much.
Then he turned to Penny and froze for the barest second, his green eyes going wide, before handing Penny an identical mirror.
“Look into each other’s eyes,” he instructed. “Clear your minds, then when I tell you, look into the mirrors.”
Tovar faced away from Penny and focused his attention on Zoe, who seemed to be growing more nervous by the second.
Penny fixed her eyes on Zoe’s, but could not drive the image of Tovar’s startled face from her mind. She seemed exquisitely aware of his presence, and as if sensing this, he stepped back from them, turning away to face the backdrop.
“Now,” he whispered.
Penny looked into the mirror cupped in her hands, and could not stop the startled squeal that rose to her lips.
She had expected to see Zoe’s face looking out at her, but that was not what she saw.
Though his back was to her, she was positive he was holding his own mirror, gazing into it while they gazed into theirs, because she was looking through hers at his sharply concentrated face.
The expression on his face was plain. It was a look of shocked recognition.
A moment later he shooed them from the stage and called on two more volunteers. After this final pair he ended the show by telling them he would be back in a few weeks for Harvest Days, and that he hoped to see them all there.
Penny was on her feet before he’d finished his final pitch, moving toward the stage again.
“Penny, wait up.”
She could hear Zoe behind her, diving through breaks in the dispersing crowd, but did not slow for her.
While Tovar The Red gathered his few remaining props, stowing them into the well-hidden pockets of his cloak, his eyes met Penny’s again.
“Penny!” Not Zoe’s voice this time, Penny knew that, but didn’t turn to see who it was. She was only feet away from the gazebo, and breaking through the last of the milling crowd.
Her fast walk became a jog.
Tovar grinned, pulled his black wand from inside his cloak. Penny stopped, shocked by the certainty that he was going to attack her with it.
Instead, he pointed it at the floor between his feet, and a thick white fog wafted up from between the cracks in the white boards. The fog filled the gazebo within seconds, completely covering him.
“Wait!” Penny started up the steps, ignoring the looks from the thinning crowd, and felt a hand on her shoulder, clamping down hard enough to hurt, stopping her in her tracks.
The fog thinned, faded, disappeared, and Tovar was nowhere in evidence.
Penny shouted in frustration and turned, shrugging the hand from her shoulder.
Susan stood behind her, and the look on her face stole Penny’s anger.
Fear?
Chapter 12
Vanishing Act
Penny rode home alone that night; Zoe’s grandma was in her usual foul mood and wouldn’t let her spend the night. She replayed the scene in the park after Tovar had vanished, and in the dark interior of Susan’s store. After sending Zoe home, Susan had
The illusion ( but was it really an illusion , Penny wondered) had only lasted a few seconds, and the girls left the stage laughing and clutching the mirrors in their hands, which Tovar insisted they keep as gifts.
He’d repeated the mirror trick a half-dozen times, choosing his volunteers from a forest of raised hands. He matched Katie with one of her friends, then Rooster and his older brother. Rooster had seemed impressed—until his brother muttered something about cheesy tricks and dropped his own mirror in the grass while walking away from the stage. Finally, he called on Penny and Zoe.
Penny had watched Tovar closely throughout the show, but he had given her and Zoe no more than a passing glance until they stood onstage to either side of him.
“Young lady,” he said, bowing slightly as he passed the first mirror to Zoe. His movements were sharp and twitchy, his manners forced and curt; Penny thought that despite his profession, he didn’t like kids much.
Then he turned to Penny and froze for the barest second, his green eyes going wide, before handing Penny an identical mirror.
“Look into each other’s eyes,” he instructed. “Clear your minds, then when I tell you, look into the mirrors.”
Tovar faced away from Penny and focused his attention on Zoe, who seemed to be growing more nervous by the second.
Penny fixed her eyes on Zoe’s, but could not drive the image of Tovar’s startled face from her mind. She seemed exquisitely aware of his presence, and as if sensing this, he stepped back from them, turning away to face the backdrop.
“Now,” he whispered.
Penny looked into the mirror cupped in her hands, and could not stop the startled squeal that rose to her lips.
She had expected to see Zoe’s face looking out at her, but that was not what she saw.
Though his back was to her, she was positive he was holding his own mirror, gazing into it while they gazed into theirs, because she was looking through hers at his sharply concentrated face.
The expression on his face was plain. It was a look of shocked recognition.
A moment later he shooed them from the stage and called on two more volunteers. After this final pair he ended the show by telling them he would be back in a few weeks for Harvest Days, and that he hoped to see them all there.
Penny was on her feet before he’d finished his final pitch, moving toward the stage again.
“Penny, wait up.”
She could hear Zoe behind her, diving through breaks in the dispersing crowd, but did not slow for her.
While Tovar The Red gathered his few remaining props, stowing them into the well-hidden pockets of his cloak, his eyes met Penny’s again.
“Penny!” Not Zoe’s voice this time, Penny knew that, but didn’t turn to see who it was. She was only feet away from the gazebo, and breaking through the last of the milling crowd.
Her fast walk became a jog.
Tovar grinned, pulled his black wand from inside his cloak. Penny stopped, shocked by the certainty that he was going to attack her with it.
Instead, he pointed it at the floor between his feet, and a thick white fog wafted up from between the cracks in the white boards. The fog filled the gazebo within seconds, completely covering him.
“Wait!” Penny started up the steps, ignoring the looks from the thinning crowd, and felt a hand on her shoulder, clamping down hard enough to hurt, stopping her in her tracks.
The fog thinned, faded, disappeared, and Tovar was nowhere in evidence.
Penny shouted in frustration and turned, shrugging the hand from her shoulder.
Susan stood behind her, and the look on her face stole Penny’s anger.
Fear?
Chapter 12
Vanishing Act
Penny rode home alone that night; Zoe’s grandma was in her usual foul mood and wouldn’t let her spend the night. She replayed the scene in the park after Tovar had vanished, and in the dark interior of Susan’s store. After sending Zoe home, Susan had
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