Quinn looked at her watch, then logged out. Another day of cutting edge journalism done. Or to be more accurate an advertorial about yet another new hipster bar in the city. The Pulitzer Prize wasn't looking any closer. Still it paid the bills. Except it didn't really any more. A couple of evenings magic were usually worth more than a month's salary. She sighed, got up and grabbed her jacket and bag. Before she could head for the door her phone rang. 

"Quinn" 

"Hi, its me, Brad... Quinn, you know the paper has been experimenting with doing some spots for local tv ? " 

"Yes....?" Quinn had a bad feeling about how this was going to go.

"Wondered if you were interested in doing a few bits to camera..."

"Why me, I am not a presenter, and there are plenty of guys more senior than me? Or do you just want the female on the screen to get some extra viewers by any chance ? "

Quinn didn't want to be a hypocritical, but this was different, this was real work, her career. She was a proper journalist, or meant to be.

"Don't be silly, you are professional, speak well, yes you will look good on camera, seems like a great opportunity for you thats all.."

"OK, well in that case .....thanks, but I think i will pass. I am happy serving my time as a staff reporter, you know.."

"Ah my mistake, did I lead you to believe it was a request. Be there ...       and wear something nice." 

"Where and when ? " Quinn sighed. So that's how it was. 

                                                                                                                            ...................


Quinn was still frosty when the company mini van collected her two days later. She slid open the side door and slid in.

"You're wearing that ? 

"Hello Brad. Wasn't expecting to see the chief  here in person..." Quinn nodded to the sound recordist in the back seat.. "Charlie.. So what are we up to, is there a script ? Or any notes?" 

Charlie shuffled quietly in his seat, looking out the window. Brad cleared his throat. 

"Well, there's a new act playing at the community theatre, there's been some social media buzz, so we thought it would be cool to do an interview as well as a story..."

"OK, what kind of act ? I haven't noticed anything groundbreaking coming up?"

"Its a magic act..." 

"Really...." Quinn sounded resigned. 

"No, really, these are different. Apparently they do tricks in ways which can't be explained by the usual methods everyone sees on you tube. Its win win, its either cool or an exposee."

"And I don't suppose for one moment you thought that the amazing, new, original way of approaching this story was to have the reporter sawn in half, or some such cliche ? "

"I . Well. "

"And any increase in hits on the youtube channel from people trying to get a glimpse of said reporter in some inappropriate outfit would be a total coincidence of course?" 

"Do you think that might happen then  ? " Brad mumbled.

                                                                                                                 .......................

"Matt, thanks for inviting us, this is Charlie the mike man, and this of course is our hottest reporter I was telling you about. Quinn."  Quinn smiled and nodded fighting back any sign of recognition. "So what's the plan? " 

Matt smiled and led them into the empty theatre, the stage looking a little threadbare with no curtain and lots of lights and scenery equipment being visible. "Its up to you, you said you were interested in how our illusions differ from the old standards. We can do a couple of tricks but do them in a non traditional way and point out the differences to your viewers. Are the sections going out live ? "

"That's the plan"

Matt nodded then looked Quinn up and down. "Lets get you dressed in something less suitable and we can begin. When is the first slot ? " 

Quinn gulped and looked at her watch "45 minutes".

                                                                                                                 ........................

"And now over to our roving reporter Quinn, who is with the hottest variety act in town live from the heart of theatre district, Quinn".

"Thanks Jackie. I am here with Matt from Very Special Effects. A magic show with a difference and a cult hit. Matt, magic shows have a pretty cheesy image, what makes your show worth seeing? "

Brad panned the camera over to Matt, looking relaxed in a surf tee shirt and combat pants.

"Well the trouble with magic is between HD tv and youtube videos everyone thinks they know how its done. So we present tricks that appear impossible even if you know the usual method." 

"But you still use a pretty assistant. Not very on point in these #me too times is it ? " 

"You could see it like that. But the lovely assistant is a tradition. Besides in our shows the assistants are very much the stars of the show, front and centre. Much more so than me. They love what they do, only do what they enjoy and get a very fair share of the take. Tell you what, why don't you try a trick or too and see if you can see the appeal?"

On cue the camera shot pulled back revealing Quinn wearing a relatively conservative red one piece swimsuit.

She was standing in front of a classic looking magic trick. A vertical box slightly taller than the intrepid reporter, with a series of interconnected red circles and triangles forming an abstract female outline on its silver white front. Matt strolled over and flipped open the three doors making up its front.

"As you can see this box is a little smaller than the one you may have seen before. Less wriggle room for my vic..assistant. Quinn...."

Quinn looked to the box, to the camera and back to the box then hesitantly backed into the box. She smiled weakly as the camera zoomed in on her legs waist and chest as Matt closed the first two doors. Quinn was pretty sure Jack was letting the camera train up her scantily clad form more than was necessary. Following directions from Matt Quinn shuffled her bare toes through the lower cut outs and her right hand out through a little slot at tummy level. Matt closed the top door and Quinn lent forward pressing her face to the oval cut out waiting in the door, her left hand visible in the nearby cut out.

"Now I am sure you have all seen something a bit like this before, but if you look closely, and with magicians you should always look closely... you will see our box has no wide black frame up one side ...." 

Matt invited the camera in close to where he was indicating.

"... leaving much less space for the assistant to dodge the blades..."

Matt paused to pick up and solid metal divider.

"That looks much like we always see.." Quinn asked trying to get back in to being the reporter, holding her mike in her trapped left hand.

"It is, well spotted".

Matt held the shiny metal plate up against the box.

"But this is not what we use. You see this one is actually not much more than half the width of the box. You need to look at the blade not the handle. This gives the assistant some more space to hide in. So we use these ones." 

Matt picked up a second divider. As he held it up level with Quinn's neck its was clear the blade was the full width of the box. 

"OK so you have explained I have nowhere to wriggle out of the way too, but I am still right here in the box, should I be worried? For the folks at home, I can promise you that I have no idea how this trick will work. Infact until an hour ago I havd no idea I would be taking part in a magic act" . Quinn gave 

"You just have to believe in magic" Matt said with a grin. Quinn rolling her eyes was caught clearly on camera.

Matt took the wide divider and lined it up with the lower slot in the box, level with Quinn's hips. Reverting to type Matt didn't say another word but slid the blade into place and pushed it in a few inches.

"Ok I can confirm I can feel that ... it feels cold and sharp its pressing on my..." Quinn took a gulp "... On my hips. 

Matt gave a hard shove.

"Ummpfk, Oh I am not sure what happ.. Oh that felt so real... I .. if I didn't know better I ... ohhhh ummmmmm OH!"

Brad and Charlie exchanged nervous glances but still managed to zoom in in time to catch Quinn biting her lip looking more than a little flushed as Matt slid the second blade in place into the lower slot. They exchanged a furtive glance which Quinn caught. Matt pressed on taking a third blade and once more highlighting it's full width before lining it up with the higher slot. This one was just under Quinn's armpits. 

"Another little detail is that our box has a bigger centre section. If you are going to the effort of dividing a pretty girl into three, you may as well make the most of it.." 

Quinn took a deep breath and tightened her grip on her mic as Matt wiggled the blade into it's channel. Even though she was mentally bracing herself she gasped as the cool steel pinched the top of her breasts then slid through her tender flesh. After the initial jolt of pain it felt so good, but she struggled to stifle how she really felt all too aware of the camera trained on her.

"That was, very, int, very strange....Ahhhhh"  The final divider had slotted home.

"Now, the fun part .... " 

Matt clipped two channels to the side of the box under the close scrutiny of Brad's camera.  Matt stood to one side and pushed gently and the centre section of the box slid a few inches.

"Quinn if you can just slide you hand in for a second.. "

Once the hand was out of the way Matt pushed some more and the central box completed its journey out the side of the main box. 

"And now one very important detail... with our version this little box is quite clear of the main structure, no large chunk of black paint to deceive the eye.

Matt invited the camera to zoom in once more and slid his hand through the gap between the small centre box and the rest of the trick.

"Now you may not think that Quinn's middle is still in there? Quinn..."

Quinn hesitated then slid her right hand back out of its slot , a living hand, fingers waving a little, sprouting impossibly from a box barely a foot high. Quinn smiled, she wanted to grin at the dumbfounded looks on her colleagues faces but she daren't. She was enjoying giving them a little shock. Glancing to one side she wiggled her disembodied fingers some more.

"Now another thing that always seems odd when other acts do this sort of trick is how come the assistant's clothes always seem to survive being sliced and diced.."

"What do you mean ? " It was Quinn's turn to look uncomfortable, peering down . 

"Well surely if i really have somehow cut you into three pieces surely the blades would have some sort of effect on your costume?"

"Well that would be a very different kind of show" Quinn joked. Of course she knew full well what kind of show that would be, 

Matt's only response was to remove an portrait orientated rectangular hatch in the separated central box, which was again much larger than on a traditional prop. Brad leaned forward as he zoomed in. Instead of a patch of the red cloth of Quinn's swimsuit the opening revealed the light tan of Quinn's tummy, from just below her navel, stretching up far enough to expose a generous helping of under boob, stopping just below her nipples. With a grin Matt reached delicately into the box and retrieved a irregular patch of red material from within, neatly sliced top and bottom. Quinn feigned an indignant pout. 

Matt slowly rotated the box through three hundred and sixty degrees to allow the camera to show the whole trick, and another view of the gap between the two pieces of box. Brad closed in on Quinn's wiggling toes her separated hand and bare torso and finally her face, then once more down to her bare middle gently moving with each breath, before pulling the shot right out.

Quinn took a deep breath.

"Traffic downtown is backing up through 4th street and Branch. The interstate is running well. A good day on the roads. The forecast is set fair, dry and sunny with highs of 69 degrees and only a five percent chance of rain... Jackie"

"Thanks Quinn, you look amazing, I have no idea how you have done that, it must be quite a show. How do you feel ? "

"Well you know I have no idea either, I feel ok I think. Very strange, a little drafty too!" 

We will be back to Quinn soon when hopefully she will have managed to sort her wardrobe issues and pull herself together for one more trick with Matt the magician,  but now a break...."