It was the day before the very first elimination performance, and a feeling of nervousness and anticipation had infected the entire cast. Martin had a busy day scheduled, checking in and running a quick rehearsal with all six contestants, leaving just enough time to prepare for the party being held that evening, followed thereafter with heading over to the Enmore and making sure everything was set up for tomorrow.

~~~

Olive’s Rehearsal

 Olive walked into the rehearsal hall, Martin giving her one of his classic smiles. “Hello Olive.”

 “Oh, hello dear!” Olive smiled, placing her purse on the table.

 “So, I’ve got some good news and some bad news for you,” Martin said, looking seriously.

 “Oh jeepers!” Olive sounded shocked.

 “The good news is, the props department managed to make your prop exactly as you specified,” Martin smiled, wheeling out the big box styled cabinet into the room. Olive looked on the verge of tears, her vision having been matched exactly.

 “Oh my~” Olive was practically speechless, “It’s absolutely perfect dear… What’s the bad news?”

 “The bad news is, that I’m pretty sure I don’t own a single outfit that’ll be able to match your style,” Martin grinned.

 “Oh-“ Olive looked like she was about to saying something mean, then ended up laughing, “You big silly head! You had me worried there for a moment.”

~~~

Rachel’s Rehearsal

 “Yep. I’ve got nothing,” Rachel sighed, flopping down on the wooden floor of the dance studio. Martin and her had been playing around with a variety of effects that would be able to satisfy the theme of the competition to see if any would stick, but so far, their productions less screamed ‘highly trained professional and his assistant’ and more ‘two best friends discover they have magic powers for the first time’.

 They had tried a gimmick where they flipped Rachel’s face upside down and had her walk on her hands (a skill she had picked up a long time ago). They tried shifting their focus of gravity in order to walk on walls and do a standard trick on the ceiling. They even tried hanging her upside down on a target board and having Martin throw knives at her. But to each of the ideas, Rachel would quickly lose interest and want to move on to the next.

 “Rachel,” Martin sighed, “You’ve had plenty of good ideas-“

 “But they’re all so overplayed,” Rachel interrupted, “I don’t want to just throw on any other normal magic show. I want our shows to be intense! Have the audience question what’s going to happen. Maybe even what could happen.”

 Martin smiled, “And that’s very admirable,” his words took on a slightly more authoritative tone, “But it’s also a thought you should have been having five days ago, and not on the final day right before the show.”

 “*Sigh* You’re probably right,” she banged the back of her head lightly against the ground, “It’s just this dumb theme. It’s too vague to be helpful to bounce ideas from, and too specific to let you have any fun.”

 Martin grinned, “Well, the producers were determined to actually make it a challenge this year, seeing as how well contestants have done in the past with hard themes.”

 “True, but ‘Upside Down’? Seriously, sounds like less of a theme for a magic show and more of a…”

 Rachel’s words trailed off, as a light of inspiration shown in her eyes. She popped up from her place on the ground, “Alright, I think I’ve got an idea for our act tomorrow.”

 Martin grinned, nodding his head as he said, “Lay it on me.”

~~~

Dahlia’s Rehearsal

 “So, are you feeling better Dahlia?” Martin asked.

 “Yep!” Dahlia seemed in particularly high spirits today, “…Must have just been a stomach bug…” She smiled.

 “Well, I’m glad to hear that,” Martin flashed her his own smile, “After all, we’ve got quite the few dance steps to learn today, don’t we?”

 “Mmhmm,” Dahlia nodded, the two getting to work on their routine.

~~~

Paxton’s Rehearsal

 “Hold it…” Martin said, watching intently, as the grapefruit sized fire ball that Paxton had managed to conjure up wavered slightly. The edges of it were in a constant state of flux, desperate to collapse back in on itself.

 “Hold it…” Martin reaffirmed. Some sweat drops were forming on Paxton’s face, as she did her best to keep her focus. The ball

 “Hold it…” A smirk of annoyance crossed Paxton’s face, as Martin continued to force her to hold this tough position.

 “Now!” On Martin’s cue, Paxton focused less on maintaining the circular form of the fireball, pushing it outwards across the room, the tiny bits of light dissipating in a beautiful fireworks display.

 “Bravo!” Martin said, clapping his hands, as Paxton blushed, “Much better than yesterday. I’m impressed Paxton.”

 “Thanks,” Paxton smiled, before returning to her more nervous tendencies, “But is it going to be good enough?”

 “Well, only time will tell,” Martin sighed, before smiling, “However, if I was in the audience, I would definitely give all six of you girls a standing ovation.”

 Paxton blushed again. “We had an excellent teacher…”

 “*Psh*” Martin said, “Hardly.”

 “And how would you describe yourself then?”

 “I’d think I’d say, okay at best,” Martin sighed, “I’m certainly no David Angel or Howard Weiss.”

 “Well who cares about them?” Paxton blushed.

 “Well… I mean I do,” Martin grimaced.

 Martin clapped his hands, snapping him out of his funk, “Anyways, I think it’s looking solid.”

 “But is it going to be a good magic show?”

 “Is there magic in it?” Paxton nodded, and Martin smiled, “Then it’ll be a good magic show.”

~~~

Natalie’s Rehearsal

 “Great form!” Martin smiled, as he helped Natalie practice getting sawed in half. “You must have been really practicing hard. This is an impressive amount of improvement.

 “Yep, every night,” Natalie smiled.

 “Well then, now that you know the basics, why don’t you see if we can figure out a way to translate one of these into something upside down related?”

 “Already way ahead of you,” Natalie pulled out a large, leather-bound book from her backpack. On the title it read ‘The Classics: Magic through the ages 1800-2000’. “I’ve been reading through this, and I found a number of solid tricks that could qualify for the theme.

 Martin looked a little disappointed, “You don’t want to just brainstorm a little first?”

 “I did,” Natalie held up the book.

 “No- I meant- uh- never mind.” Martin was sounding exhausted.

~~~

Kacie’s Rehearsal

 “No Martin, we step off on count three,” Kacie sighed.

 “Mmm?” Martin was clearly pretty tired looking having done five prior back-to-back rehearsals.

 “Are you feeling okay, Martin?” Kacie asked.

 “Yeah,” Martin yawned, “just a little tired is all. I just really wish we could have done more rehearsal time scheduled. There’s not nearly enough time to do the necessary amount, and all these advertisements they want me todo.”

 “I’m sorry to hear that,” Tetra said, the music changing to some sad violins, the tune shifting to something more inspirational, “But just the same, I know that by pushing yourself, you’re going to be able to get past these roadblocks and get that World Class license.”

 Martin grinned, rolling his eyes “Alright. Fine, I’ll try a little bit harder then.” And they stepped back into their routine.

~~~

The Cat’s Meow

 The guests walked into the Cat’s Meow Cocktail Bar, and were instantly blown away with the regality of the private venue.

 Walking into the front door, they were met with slightly elevated room with luscious dark wood flooring, marble tables, a golden bar with many varieties of champagne and golden liquors behind it, and a massive brown, chandelier that evoked the style of the 1920’s.

 Further along, the bar separated into two other rooms. Both rooms had marble flooring, however one of the spaces was clearly extra seating for the original bar, the golden champagne bottles creating a beautiful illusion with the nearby mirrored wall that made the space seem more open and bright.

 The other room, meanwhile, was stylized around offering a large group a slightly more intimate feeling, having only a single large marble table, with some short brown leather stools. The walls were lined with wine racks and photographs, and there was even a mini-bar nearby so that a bartender could personally take care of the special party.

 Of course, being a pretty decently well-off production, ANGA had rented out the entire place for the evening, allowing for the contestants and production staff to spread out and enjoy the full amenities on offer. A large muscular man in a black suit vest, with a long black tail and black cat ears poking out from his crew cut was manning the bar, while female wait staff with similar aesthetic (black suit vest, cat tails and cat ears) were walking around to the few tables that were occupied.

 Penny and Jean almost immediately spotted the girls, practically running over. Penny was wearing a large ball gown. The cage of the dress was an exquisite purple, while the rest of the dress was the same blue of her favorite t-shirt. Strangely enough, she almost seemed to roll across the floor, only one portion of her dress coming into contact with it at any time, her upper half somehow remaining always facing forwards.

 Jean, meanwhile, was wearing a much more modern dress, although there similarly seemed to be something going on. It was a dark blue number, ver form hugging, and with a matching pair of black, arm length gloves. It was rather subtle due to their length, but there was absolutely no sign of any arm connecting her gloves to her shoulder.

 “Hey there!” Jean called out, “So glad you could all make it!” She went down the line hugging each of them. Everyone was more or less wearing a same variation on the cocktail dress in the favorite color (except for Rachel, who was wearing the same stunning outfit as she had wore on the very fist episode.)

 “Ah! Jean” Natalie fangirled as she was hugged, “You and Penny did such a great job on Saturday! Seriously, great work!”

 “Ha ha! Thanks!” Jean smiled.

 About twenty minutes later, dinner was brought out, and the contestants plus Penny and Jean were dining at the same table. A further few minutes after, and the questions began to be thrown around.

 “So,” Kacie asked, “Any reason why you gave us the challenge on Monday and dipped?”

 “It’s just the way things ended lining up,” Jean shrugged, “we had another obligation that we couldn’t get out of, and we trusted you girls enough to be able to take care of each other with Martin’s help,”

 “Neat,” Kacie smiled.

 The girls continued to talk about a variety of topics with Penny and Jean: Life, magic, Australia, etc they talked well into the night, and soon enough it was last call.

 Tomorrow was going to be a big day.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

& Question Corner &

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To Olive: “You are almost like my mom Olive, seriously I understand why Martin is so happy and yet slightly creeped out. Also don't worry, you don't have to rush to get anything.” -Andrea (@@Jeaune)

 Olive: “For cute. Dear, I’m sure I’m only half as good as your mother. After all, she was able to raise such a fine lady as yourself.

 Oh, and no need to worry,” Olive reaches into her purse, pulling out two boxes of shortbread cookies, “I’ve already got your present, so look forwards to that!”

To Paxton: “You got much better already, if I recall your reactions from your introduction video. Keep it up Sweetie!” -Andrea (@@Jeaune)

 Paxton: Paxton blushes profusely, looking at the camera with about as much pride as she’s able to muster, “Thanks Andrea. These past couple of days have been really helpful. Especially talking to you.”

To Rachel: “Of course you will get an exclusive Friend Sampler with me and the others, by the way, I'm quite the unorthodox and unique flavour.” -Andrea (@@Jeaune)

 Rachel: “Ooh! I can hardly wait! I wonder if you’ll beat out Dahlia for my new favorite flavor of friend.” Rachel grins.

To Natalie: “I promise you, you can ask me until I vanish and I will still answer your questions. Also I'm sure Jean and Penny as well as Frankie look forward to answer your questions too. I can say for sure Jean and Penny love to help.” -Andrea (@@Jeaune)

 Natalie: “He he! I’m sure Penny and Jean got enough of my questions tonight. But yeah! I’m beyond excited to get to meet you! (And ask questions) Although. If we’re leaving Australia next week, I wonder when Frankie’s going to show up?”

To Kacie: “A tour around Germany and the states around it? For sure! By the way, I know I might sound a bit offensive, but when we meet, please keep Tetra at your room, I want to see and talk to your beautiful face.” -Andrea (@@Jeaune)

 Kacie: “Oh, I don’t find it offensive at all. Tetra’s more for performance stuff, and hangovers… and getting work done when I’m really tired… and for goofing off sometimes… Okay, don’t worry I won’t bring Tetra.”

To Dahlia: “You know the first time being in the light and gaze of an audience is frightening, but you will manage it I'm sure of it! You are quite promising and I'm sure there will be a chance for you to rise and shine.” -Andrea (@@Jeaune)

 Dahlia: “…I will do my best… After all… I have very good teachers.” She smiles enigmatically.

To Martin: "Now Martin are you getting excited for the first weeks end? It means that you will officially loose a sweet girl and have to work with the remaining ones. Anything thoughts that you might want to share about it?

Also, never mentioned my entry act for the bigger stage, yes my very first act was with Phian, but my really first act, an Idea of my own was with another amazing Magician. It also got ranked and... Well, I will tell you once you meet up.

Don't worry though, you will see all girls in Europe, I actually made all the arrangements.” -Andrea (@@Jeaune)

 Martin: Martin seems very ragged as he answers, clearly tired but still smiling, “Oh yes. I’m actually very excited for this week to end. The girls have put in an amazing amount of work this week, and I really hope it’s going to shine through.

 Although, you’re right. It really is a shame to see one of the contestants go. I know that David and Howard had expressed similar sentiments in seasons prior, but I really would never be able to make the decision to choose a contestant to remove. The best I can do is try and offer them a great going away prize…

 And also, your first act was with Phian? That’s great to hear. I heard they do an excellent job taking care of first-timers. You'll definitely have to invite them along to our little soiree so they girls can get to know them better.

To all Girls: “I'm eager to see what you came up with and again regardless of who gets to leave, your prize is already in, you spend time in Europe and meet up with me, I honestly don't care much what the show masters will say.

And most important, you will all be winners in my eyes, since you made it much further than I did in a whole year!” -Andrea (@@Jeaune)

 Olive: “Now don’t be selling yourself short dear. I mean, in just one year you were able to get the opportunity to appear as a guest star on ANGA. Now that sounds pretty gosh darn impressive to me!”

 Natalie: “I mean, I highly doubt one week of training makes us more qualified than an assistant working in the field for a year. But I appreciate the sentiment.”

 Paxton: Paxton blushes, “I think I still have quite a long ways before I get on your level, but I am very excited to meet you.”

 Dahlia: “…” Dahlia seems slightly out of it for a moment, before focusing back on the camera, “Sorry… Thank you so much… You are truly an inspiration.”

 Rachel: “Hopefully I’ll be able to win in the eyes of other as well!”

 Kacie: “Aww! Thanks Andrea! I’m still so excited to meet you!”

To Dahlia: “Oh you poor thing. I hope it’s not too bad and I hope you get better soon!” -Shannon (@@FlagsOtherSide)

 Dalia: “…It wasn’t too bad,” Dahlia smiled, “…I think it was most likely something I ate… A little bed rest… And I was good to go.”

To Kacie/Tetra: “That’s actually pretty cool! All those features and all. Did Joel make anything else other than the pyramid, or is that it?” -Shannon (@@FlagsOtherSide)

 Kacie: Kacie grinned, “Well, I’ve known Joel since elementary school. He used to be the go-to-guy for sticky-note ninja stars,” Kacie laughed. “But yeah, he’s built a bunch of other cool things. A lot of them are much less impressive than Tetra, usually proof of concept stuff or useless machines. Like one of them he made was to see if he could turn any regular food into a jello copy of it. Or, like a spinning top that would cause your head to spin along with it. Silly stuff like that.

 Nowadays, Joel’s much too busy designing even crazier stuff than Tetra. I don’t know exactly what he’s doing, since the company he works for is pretty secretive, but really just the vibe I’ve gotten from hanging out with him recently. Some major stuff might be releasing from them one day, and I’m beyond excited to see what it is.”