The morning light spilled across my apartment like it was testing me, daring me to take the leap I'd been avoiding for years. Jess and Daniel were already buzzing around, checking props, measuring distances, adjusting lights we had set up to mimic a small stage. My hands hovered over the water tank I had set aside. I stared at it, thinking about all the times it had nearly drowned me—not physically, but in fear. The thrill was addictive back then, but now? It wasn't worth the risk.
"No," I said finally, lifting my head. "We're not doing the tank. Not this time. Too dangerous. Too… unnecessary."
Jess's eyes widened. "Wait, really? But that's the signature one. People will expect it!"
I shook my head, firm this time. "They don't need to see me almost drown to understand my magic. I survived the impossible in secret; the audience doesn't need to see the fear, they need to see the wonder. Cards, illusions, bunnies out of hats… classics. Tricks that delight, not terrify."
Daniel nodded slowly, his expression serious but approving. "Smart. You don't need to prove yourself to anyone. They'll know you're back from the moment you step on stage. That's enough."
I felt a flicker of relief. That was it. I would reclaim Ava safely, without unnecessary risk. And for the finale… the finale had to be perfect. Something no one would forget. Something dramatic. Something that screamed, I am back.
"What about the final trick?" Jess asked eagerly, bouncing on her toes. "You can't just do cards forever. There has to be a grand finish."
I smiled, a spark of excitement lighting my chest. "Disappear."
Her jaw dropped. "Disappear? Like… vanish? For real?"
"Yes," I said, voice low and almost reverent. "Not fake, not a stunt that scares people—I want them to gasp. To believe, for just a moment, that magic is real. That it can take me away… and then… reveal that it was all illusion. That's the finale."
Daniel leaned back, crossing his arms, trying to hide the grin tugging at his lips. "Classic. Elegant. Perfectly Ava."
I spent the rest of the day planning each move with meticulous care. Cards stacked, hats prepped, scarves, silks, and small props positioned just so. The finale involved mirrors, smoke, precise lighting—everything I could control to make it seamless. The timing had to be perfect; one misstep and the magic would fail. But I trusted myself. I always had.
As I practiced card flourishes, bunnies popping from hats, and sleight-of-hand tricks, I felt a rhythm returning to me. The rhythm of the stage, the pulse of performance, the heartbeat of someone who had been hiding too long. Each trick reminded me why I had chosen this path, why I had risked disappearing, why I had become Clara.
The shadow of him lingered at the edges of my mind—the blackmailer who knew my true name—but for the first time in years, I felt capable of stepping into the light despite that fear. Every flick of a card, every flourish of a silk scarf, every small smile that crept across my face was a defiance.
Jess clapped her hands together. "You're going to blow them away. I can't wait. Everyone's going to be talking about this forever."
Daniel nodded, voice steady. "And when you disappear at the end… they'll never forget it. That's the trick they'll talk about for years. The comeback of the century."
I smiled, feeling the excitement mix with a touch of nerves. The cards, the bunnies, the illusions—they were all preparation. But the finale… the finale was mine. My signature. My return. And for the first time in years, I felt alive, ready, unstoppable.
I glanced at my friends, my anchors in this storm of excitement and fear. Jess and Daniel were practically vibrating with anticipation. And I realized something: this wasn't just a show. It was my life, reclaimed. My secret no longer a burden. My magic no longer hidden.
And when I made myself disappear, even for just a heartbeat, the world would know—Ava was back.