Alice and the Illusionist (Introduction)

"I'm sorry! I didn't know!" A young girl screamed. She was cornered a large man. He smelled of alchohol, and smoke. He wore a white t-shirt spotted with beer stains, and had a scraggled up old beard.

"You didn't know!?" the man screamed back, "It's polite to take a beer when a man offers you it! Everyone in Vegas knows that!"

"I'm sorry! I've only been here for three days. Besides I've never been inside of a casino before." The girl looked away.

"Well the only way to make up for it is to give me something special." The girl looked back at him,

"Like what?"

"Pleasure." The man gave a large smile, revealing his yellow teeth. The girl looked away in disgust. The man reached out, and tried to grab one of her breasts, and she batted his hand away, and tried to run, but before she could he grabbed her arm and pulled her towards him.

"Let me go! Please!" She screamed.

"No chance in hell, you owe me for refusing my generous offer. Now come here you little bitch!" The man pulled her toward him, and twisted her arm, and she gave a loud scream.

A man dealing cards at one of the tables stopped and looked back at them. He was wearing a white trench coat with an ace of spades design on the back of it, and sun glasses. His pants were black leather, and he had on calf high cowboy boots. He stood up and walked back to where the man was molesting the girl. He walked back there and grabbed the man's shoulder. The man looked back angrily at the dealer.

"Who the hell are you!?" The man yelled.

"I just want to know if you want to see a card trick?" The dealer responded.

"What? No! Now get lost!" The dealer held out a deck of cards infront of the man's face, fanned out.

"Pick a card, any card." The man looked up at the dealer, and picked a card. It was the Ace of Spades. "Look at it, remember it, and put it back in the deck." The man did as the dealer said. The dealer then shuffled the deck, and pulled the top card. The dealer revealed the card. It was the Seven of Clubs.

"Ha thats not my card! Nnow go away!" The man looked at the girl who was now crying.

"My trick wasn't done yet!"

"Do you think I care!?" The dealer smiled.

"Well you should." The dealer revealed the Seven of Clubs again, and rubbed his index fingers over the numbers. Suddenly the seven began to change to an ace, and the clubs changed to spades. The card then showed the Ace of Spades.

"Is this your card?" The dealer smiled.

"Wh-What!? It is! How'd you do that!?" The man was shocked, with his eyes wide. The dealer began to laugh.

The dealer grabbed the man's russled up hair, and lifted him off the ground, "The door to darkness is opened. Receive your punishment!" The dealer used his opposite hand to push the man away. He then grabbed one of his cards from his deck, and threw it at the man, before he fell. The card was logged into his forehead. The man began to scream in pain, but it was all an illusion. The man never had a card thrown at his head, he was just imagining it. People from all around looked at the man, as he screamed in pain, and soon two security guards threw the man out.

"Thank you sir." The girl said timidly.

"It was no problem." The dealer began to walk away, but was cut off by the girl.

"What is your name sir?" She looked at him with big blue eyes, and the man gave off a small grin.

"Ace, just call me Ace. Shouldn't you be at home?" The girl looked back at Ace.

"No. I'm eighteen. I make my own decisions now."

"Really? You're eighteen?" The man looked at her with disbelief.

"Yes! How old are you?" Ace gave her a smirk.

"Eighteen. What's your name girly?"

"Alice. Alice Darlington." Ace looked at Alice, surprised.