Magician vs Delusional Influencer

Inside the VIP lounge at LAX, a C-list influencer was covering his face, sobbing to his fans on a livestream.

Babes, someone just threw an unknown liquid all over me. My hands are already turning bright red.

If my face is ruined, I'll have to cancel all my upcoming shoots!

Look, everyone! This is the woman. She's literally a demon in human form!

He slumped weakly against his assistant, pretending he was struggling to breathe.

I couldn't believe how this hypocrite was flipping the script.

Ten minutes ago, I caught him sneaking a smoke in a stairwell packed with flammable crates. A spark had already caught a cardboard box on fire.

In a panic to stop a disaster, I splashed my bottle of water on the flames.

Now, he was accusing me of intentional assault.

Too bad for him, he didn't realize I was a professional magician.

That bottle didn't just contain water. It was a prop filled with phenolphthalein. When it hit the nicotine and alkaline residue on his fingers, it turned blood-red.

Leo Vance shoved his phone so close to my face that the lens nearly brushed my nose.

His face, caked in heavy foundation, was twisted with faked agony and real rage.

"Look at her, guys! This psycho is just standing there like she did nothing wrong!"

The comments in his livestream were flying by so fast I could barely read them. Gift effects took up half the screen.

I feel so bad for Leo! Call the cops and get her arrested!

Ugly women like her hate seeing beautiful people. She probably tried to disfigure him!

Dox her! Make sure she never works again!

Leo saw the wave of support, and a tiny, smug smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth.

He pointed at the red splotches on his right hand, his voice trembling.

"Look at this. She threw acid on me. My hand is burning. It hurts so much."

Other travelers started gathering around, whispering and pointing at me.

A few young girls in designer clothes pushed their way to the front and shoved my shoulders.

"How could you hurt Leo? Why don't you just go crawl in a hole and die?"

My back hit the cold metal of a ticketing kiosk. It stung.

I tried to explain. "He was smoking in the stairwell. It was full of shipping boxes and they were starting to catch fire."

Leo's assistant jumped in, shouting louder than a megaphone.

"You're a liar! Leo is a public figure. He would never smoke in a public place!"

"You followed us into that stairwell! You're just a stalker who got rejected!"

"Don't listen to her, everyone! she's just a obsessed, deranged fan!"

The crowd erupted into a chorus of disgusted boos.

"She looks so normal, but she's rotten inside."

"Kids these days will do anything for five minutes of fame."

A tall, muscular woman stepped forward and grabbed me by the collar.

Her spit landed on my cheek as she screamed.

"Get on your knees! Apologize to Leo right now!"

I looked at her coldly, my hand tightening around the empty prop bottle.

"Let go of me," I said, my voice steady.

"Oh, you think you're tough?" She gripped me tighter, nearly lifting me off the ground.

Leo grinned behind his camera, though his voice stayed soft and 'magnanimous.'

"Hey, don't hurt her. We're civilized people. Let the police handle it."

He knew exactly what was in that stairwell. He knew the cigarette butt was evidence.

But he was betting on the fact that the stairwell was a blind spot for security cameras.

I watched the red on his fingers get darker. The chemical reaction was still going strong.

"Leo Vance, are you sure that's acid?" I asked, staring him down.

He blinked, then clutched his chest, gasping for air.

"If it's not acid, it's some kind of poison. I'm dizzy. I can't breathe."

"Help I think I'm going to die here"

The fans went into a total frenzy. Someone grabbed my suitcase and tried to yank it away.

"Don't let her get away! Rip her bag open! See what other weapons she has!"

With a loud zip, my suitcase was forced open. My magic props spilled across the floor.

Decks of cards, silk scarves, and several small bottles labeled with chemical warnings scattered everywhere.

"Look! She's got chemicals! She's a premeditated murderer!"

The assistant held up an empty bottle, shouting into the livestream.

Security finally arrived, but they had to push through a wall of angry fans.

"Arrest her! Take her down!"

I looked at my crushed props on the floor and felt a surge of cold fury.

Leo leaned in close, whispering so only I could hear.

"You tried to ruin my day. Now, I'm going to ruin your life."

The red on his skin was deep purple now. He leaned into his performance, groaning in 'pain.'

I took a deep breath and looked directly into his camera lens.

"If you think that liquid is dangerous, let's wait for the cops to test it. I can't wait to see where that red color actually came from."

Leo Vance's livestream hit over five hundred thousand viewers.

On social media, the hashtag #LeoVanceAcidAttack was trending globally.

In less than five minutes, my entire life was picked apart online.

Jade Chambers, twenty-six, professional magician, graduate of the National Academy of Arts.

My phone started buzzing in my pocket like a trapped hornet. It was a non-stop stream of death threats.

Suddenly, a call broke through. It was the director of the magic troupe I worked for.

As soon as I answered, he started screaming.

"Jade! What the hell did you do? The entire internet is boycotting our show!"

"You're fired! As of right now, you have nothing to do with this company!"

He hung up before I could say a word. The dial tone felt like a needle in my ear.

Leo stood in front of me, clearly seeing the chaos he'd caused.

He wiped a fake tear away for the camera.

"Everyone, please don't attack her. Even though she tried to ruin my face, I hope she finds help."

His fake kindness only made the fans more violent.

The assistant pulled a folder from his bag and slammed it onto a bench.

"This is Leo's medical history. He has a history of severe skin allergies."

"Because of what you did, three of his major brand deals are gone!"

"We're looking at over five million dollars in damages. Jade Chambers, can you even afford that?"

Someone in the crowd gasped. "Five million? A girl like her wouldn't make that in a lifetime."

"If she can't pay, let her rot in prison. People like her don't deserve to be free."

Leo saw that he had complete control over the narrative. The malice in his eyes was no longer hidden.

He stepped toward me while his assistant used his body to block the camera's view of us.

Leo lowered his voice, his tone cold and sharp.

"Get on your knees. Apologize to the livestream. Tell them you're a stalker who attacked me because I rejected you."

"Do exactly what I say, and I might tell my lawyers to go easy on the damages."

"Otherwise, I have ways to make sure your entire family suffers for this."

I looked at his greedy, smug face and felt nothing but disgust.

"Five million? Is your face made of gold or something?" I spat back.

Leo's expression darkened instantly. He pointed at his own cheek.

"Look at this! Look how red it is! That's all the evidence I need!"

In his attempt to look pathetic, he had rubbed his hands all over his face.

Now, his face looked like it had been smeared with red ink. It was ridiculous.

"Leo, if you go wash your face right now, you might actually keep some dignity," I suggested.

He thought I was begging for mercy and laughed.

"Wash it? This is the evidence of your crime. I'm keeping it for the police!"

Just then, a woman in trendy clothes pushed through the crowd.

"I know her! She's that street magician, Jade Chambers!"

"All her little bottles are full of dangerous stuff. I saw her setting paper on fire the other day!"

She was clearly a paid plant or someone looking for clout.

The crowd boiled over again. Someone threw a half-full water bottle at my head.

"Get out of the airport! You murderer!"

Security finally established a perimeter, leading me and Leo toward the airport police station.

The whole time, Leo never turned off his livestream. He even started a flash sale.

"Babes, even though I'm hurt, I'm still doing the giveaway I promised"

His obsession with views was almost impressive in a sick way.

When I was brought into the interrogation room, reporters were already swarming outside.

My phone buzzed again. It was my mother.

I pressed 'accept' with a trembling hand, and I heard her sobbing.

"Jade people are leaving funeral wreaths at our front door. Someone threw a rock through the window"

"They're saying you killed someone. What is going on?"

Leo Vance, you made a mistake. You should never have touched my family.

In the hallway of the police station, Leo was still giving interviews.

"I've always believed people are fundamentally good, but this has broken my heart."

He looked into the cameras with a perfect 'broken' expression.

"I don't care about the five million dollars. I just want justice."

His lawyer sat next to him, pushing up his glasses with an arrogant sniff.

"My client is currently suffering from respiratory distress and massive skin inflammation."

"This is clearly felony assault. we will be pursuing the maximum sentence."

I sat in the cold metal chair across from two stern-faced officers.

"Jade Chambers, tell us your version. Why did you throw an unknown liquid at the victim?"

I stayed calm and told them everything from the beginning.

"So you're saying he was smoking in a restricted area, started a fire, and you were putting it out?"

I nodded. "Yes. He was holding the cigarette butt when I splashed him."

the officers looked at each other, clearly skeptical.

"We sent someone to that stairwell. It's spotless. No fire damage, no cigarette butts."

Ten minutes was more than enough time for his team to scrub the scene.

The lawyer turned to me, his eyes full of contempt.

"Ms. Chambers, the evidence is stacked against you."

"If you sign this settlement, admit to the assault, and pay the damages, we might consider not pressing charges."

I looked at the settlement. It was a joke.

Not only did they want five million dollars, but I had to issue a public apology and quit magic forever.

"And if I don't sign?" I tossed the paper back on the table.

The lawyer sneered. "Then enjoy prison. You know how powerful public opinion is."

My phone rang again. This time it was my dad.

"Jade, your mom collapsed. She's being rushed to the ER"

In that moment, I felt the blood rush to my head.

Leo was outside, laughing and joking with his fans during a break.

I stood up and looked the lead officer in the eyes.

"I want to file a formal report against Leo Vance for a fire hazard and public endangerment."

"And I am requesting a professional chemical analysis of that red substance on his skin."

Leo chose that exact moment to walk in, wanting to gloat.

When he heard me, a flash of panic crossed his face.

But he recovered quickly, swaggering over to me.

"Who cares if you saved us from a fire? The fire is gone. Who can prove it existed?"

"But the wounds on my hands? Everyone can see those."

He leaned in, his voice a venomous whisper.

Just as the police were about to officially book me, I slammed my hand on the table.

"That's not a wound, Leo. That's the proof you were smoking!"

The room fell into a dead silence.

Leo's face looked bizarre against the backdrop of the red stains.

He instinctively tried to hide his hands behind his back, but I was faster.

"Officer, look at the crevices of his fingers. That's where the nicotine buildup is heaviest, and that's where the color is darkest."

The lawyer scoffed. "Nonsense! That's clearly chemical burns!"

"Jade, these lies will only add years to your sentence."

Leo snapped back into character, whimpering and clutching his hands.

"It hurts so much Officer, I think I'm going to pass out. She's still harassing me."

The fans outside heard him and started pounding on the door.

"Free Leo! Lock up that witch!"

"We want Leo! Jade Chambers should pay in blood!"

The pressure on the officers was immense. The lead cop looked at me, his face grim.

"Jade, you mentioned a chemical reaction. Do you have any proof for this theory?"

I pulled my professional magician's license from my bag and slammed it onto the desk.

"This is my ID. I've been in this industry for eight years. I know my chemicals."

"The spray bottle I carry contains a diluted phenolphthalein solution. It's naturally colorless."

"It only turns that shade of red when it comes into contact with a strong alkaline substance."

I turned to Leo, my eyes like daggers.

"You claim I threw a strong base at you? Then tell me, where are the blisters? Where is the peeling skin?"

Leo froze. He looked down at his own hands.

Aside from being incredibly red, the skin was perfectly smooth.

"That's because because I have a special constitution!" he stammered.

"A constitution that ignores the laws of chemistry?" I laughed coldly.

"Officer, if a base was strong enough to cause that much color change, his skin would be melting off."

"This is just surface staining. It's a textbook phenolphthalein reaction to the chemicals in his cigarettes."

The lawyer tried to cut me off. "Even if that's true, you still splashed him! That's still assault!"

I looked at the lawyer, my voice terrifyingly calm.

"Is it assault if I was preventing a fire that could have killed thousands of people in this terminal?"

"Under the Good Samaritan laws, my actions weren't just legalDthey were heroic."

Leo shrieked, "Fire? What fire? You're hallucinating!"

"Look, everyone! This crazy woman is making up fires to get out of trouble!"

He shouted toward his livestream camera, which was still running.

The online comments were still mocking me.

"She's got a great imagination. She should write fiction."

"The desperation is real. If there was a fire, wouldn't the alarms go off?"

Leo grew bolder and walked right up to me.

He waved his red hands in front of my face mockingly.

"Where's the evidence, Jade? Where is it?"

"No evidence means you're a criminal. You're a failed murderer!"

He leaned into my ear and whispered so low that no one else could hear.

"Yeah, I was smoking. And yeah, I stomped it out. What are you going to do about it?"

"In this world, followers are the law. My fans are my weapons."

"I bet your parents are having a real fun time right now. And I'm just getting started."

My rage finally boiled over, but I didn't hit him.

I knew violence wouldn't win this. Only the truth would send him to hell.

I looked at him and said softly, "You're going to regret every word you just said."

Suddenly, an officer hurried in and whispered something to the lead investigator.

The investigator's face turned serious.

He looked at Leo with a newfound scrutiny.

"Leo Vance, we need to take you to the lab for a physical exam. Please cooperate."

Leo still didn't realize how bad things were. He kept playing to the camera.

"Sure! Check me! Then lock this psycho up!"