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.He swore there was another key that had sifted through theopening while he was still upside down, and maybe he would havefound it if he d tried harder, even without his True magic.Nothingto be done for it now, he supposed.He d allowed himself to bedistracted, and now it was time to see what his distraction wouldcost him.The lighting director selected a spot to film the final segment againstthe side of the mansion where the landscaping looked a bit haggard,and the greensman s assistant hurried to snip off brown fronds fromthe palms and pick shreds of plastic shopping bags from the bushes.When one of the crew bent back the undergrowth, sun glinted off apane of glass, and John realized& that glass was the window to hisroom.The room he shared with Ricardo.And suddenly the afternoonseemed incredibly surreal.Kevin joined the other players with a patch taped over his eye and adiagnosis of a scratched cornea.Iain stood him on one side of John,Ricardo on the other, and Jia on the end, then answered a call on oneof his cell phones that left him whispering furiously with his handcupped over his mouth so none of the contestants could see.Johnsighed. Medic told me you was the one who got me pulled out of thestunt, Kevin said.And now, on top of everything else, John would have the privilegeof being blamed for Kevin s forfeit of the contest, too. That s right. That was some fucked-up shit, Kevin said quietly.Not as if he wasupset with John, either. I ll bet it cost you some time, having to416worry  bout me. He jammed his hands in his pockets. Thanks.As John absorbed the unexpected gratitude, he spied Marlene stridingacross the lawn with Monty in tow, and he steeled himself.The time had finally come.417Chapter 40THE WINNER ISTwo stationary cameras, a jib, and a swarm of handhelds surroundedthem.Marlene, for once, joined them from her trailer for the taping asshe directed a couple of techs to set up& were those confetti canons?John stared dumbly.The end was in sight.It was really happening.Once everyone was in place and Iain gave the go-ahead, Monty turnedhis inscrutable smile onto the contestants, and said,  Welcome backto Magic Mansion.We ve gone through the tapes and consulted withour judges, and we re ready to announce the quarter million dollarwinner.But first& let s check in with Kevin Kazan.Kevin, you wereinjured during the final challenge, and you ended up forfeiting.Whatwas going through your mind?Kevin cocked his head and considered his reply, and when heanswered, his voice was more thoughtful than John had ever heardit. Funny, you always ask dat, Monty.And sometimes, I just don tknow.I was in the zone, dig? I was pumped up.Ready to showeveryone Kevin Kazan gonna smoke the competition and take theprize.But then& everything went red.Alls I knew was the pain.Yeah,I m disappointed I didn t even finish the challenge.But they saymy eye s gonna be okay, and after what I thought I was gonna hearthem say&. He seemed a bit choked up, but he shrugged it off. I mgonna be okay. And we re glad to hear it.How about you, Professor Topaz? Youfinished less than one second after Ricardo the Magnificent and thatwas after you d been restrained by none other than escape artistextraordinaire Ken Barron.So close, and yet so far.What do you418think of your decision to go with Ken rather than one of the othermagicians?Actually, it had been his concern for Kevin that had cost him, and notKen Barron s restraints, though John supposed the compassion anglewouldn t sound quite as thrilling to the audience. There is neverany shame in losing to the best, he said gravely. I m proud of myperformance today. As well you should be.You really gave Ricardo a run for his money.Ricardo, if Jia Lee was found to have violated the contest rules, you llbe taking home a quarter million dollars and embarking on a four-month European tour.What would winning that prize mean to you? It d be awesome.I d buy a house. He glanced at John. I ve alwayswanted my own house, so for me, that prize money would be a startof a whole new life. And Europe? That d be great too, Ricardo said as an afterthought.Not particularlyconvincingly, either.John suppressed a smile. Jia Lee, you took the final challenge into your own hands.Ratherthan waiting for a key to fall, you set to work picking the locks.Whatwas your strategy?Jia leaned forward and looked down the line at her three opponents. It took me a lot longer to get out of those gravity boots than it tookRicardo.Curling myself up like that& it hurt.It took me several tries.Alot of these challenges were made with men in mind.I m not sayingthat to sound bitter.It s just a fact.Stronger muscles, longer legs.That s the playing field we ve been competing on.But the thing is,who can jump the highest or run the fastest& that s not what magic sabout.Not by a long shot.Magic is about knowing how to think onyour feet.To use your hands.To make something complicated look419easy.Whatever the judges say, I know and all the viewers knowthat if we judge the final challenge by those standards, then withouta doubt, I am the winner. The judges have the final word on that.Jia Lee, Ricardo theMagnificent, please come forward.Ricardo gave John s hand a squeeze as he stepped out of line.John didsmile at that, though it was probably camouflaged by his mustache. After reviewing the rules, the judges have reached their finaldecision [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]