Seattle, Washington, in the Summit Convention Center, on Friday, June 14th, 2030 at 2:30 pm

Rachel

Tyler led us to an open set of four chairs in the auditorium. The room was pretty much packed and I could already feel myself beginning to sweat. I remembered that one of the fliers I read for this convention center said it could hold up to forty-two thousand attendees. I wasn't sure how many people were in this room, but it was getting warm quickly as people filled the remaining seats. We were somewhere in the middle, and we had a great view of the massive stage at the back of the room.

"These keynote speakers are fantastic," a woman said from behind me.

"Yeah, they speak every year! They're nice to look at, too," the women giggled as they continued to chat. I flipped open the conference guide to check who the speakers are.

Oh my god.

"Oh my god!" Artemis punched me in the arm. She saw it at the exact moment I did.

Sometimes, I wonder if she is in my head, just watching my thoughts.

"Ow! What'd you do that for?" I winced as I rubbed my arm. She had her guide open to the event page as well.

She must've overheard the women talking and checked, too.

"Did you see who the first speakers are?" Tyler said from my left.

"Yes-ir-ree!" Erika exclaimed from the other side of Tyler. Okay, I guess everyone heard. "This should be good!" She continued as she bounced in her seat.

I felt my cheeks start to heat up as I remembered my exchange with Sam. There was just something about the way he was looking at me that made it hard to focus.

The lights began to dim until the only thing we could see was the stage. There was a dark purple curtain in the background, and I could see a single chair in the center of the stage. The announcer for the event walked out to introduce the speakers.

"Good evening ladies and gentleman!" his voice was booming, and about half the crowd yelled 'good evening' back at him.

We really are educators.

"I would like you all to give our first group of speakers a warm round of applause as they kick off the Innovative Schools Summit Conference of 2030!" The crowd began cheering as Sam, Vance, and Tony walked out onto the stage. The applause in the audience erupted into a booming roar as Vance grabbed the microphone from the announcer. I heard a lot of women screaming at them.

"How are y'all doin' tonight, Seattle?" His voice was full of southern charm and the audience began cheering some more. Vance smiled broadly; his pearly white teeth almost reflective under the stage lights. His hair looked more silvery now, too.

"My name is Vance Summers, and I'm the Superintendent for the Dallas School District. My coworkers and I love coming to this event every year to give the wonderful educators of our country a fun-filled evening where we get to connect with each other." He beamed at the crowd and a few people shouted in agreement.

"How about we get started with the fun part?" He held out his arms to wait for the audience to respond. Most of the crowd cheered again, but Artemis and I exchanged glances.

"For those of you who have not seen us speak before, we like to use some of our background expertise to enhance your time at this conference." Vance walked over to Sam and put an arm around him. A bunch of women in the crowd started yelling again. "This is Sam Marconi, and he's the Vice Principal at Westlake Academy in Dallas."

The women behind me hooted and hollered at Sam as he grabbed the microphone from Vance.

"Thank you for the warm introduction, Vance." He smiled as Vance patted him on the shoulder. His accent was so alluring. It was as if I was listening to rain falling softly on the window as he spoke. "As he said, we like to bring our background knowledge to the stage when we speak to provide a unique experience for everyone."

Artemis hit me in the arm again.

"What do you think they're going to do?" she whispered to me. I shrugged as I quickly turned my attention back to Sam, not wanting to miss a single thing he said.

"Some of you already know this, but before I became an educator, I was a magician," the crowd erupted into applause again. Sam nodded his head and laughed.

"Oh my god! You love magicians!" Artemis hissed at me as she punched me again. I did love magicians, especially sleight of hand magic.

I think that it's incredibly sexy.

Nicole and I went to see a magician in Vegas while we were seniors in college. We joked about how in the bedroom, he could probably snap his fingers and your clothes would just disappear.

"Some people think that magicians rely on a lot of luck when they perform. Now, I can't really tell you what it takes to be a good magician, but I can tell you that I am feeling very lucky tonight," he smirked at the audience as a few women whistled at him, trying to get his attention.

I felt another sharp pain in my right arm as Artemis elbowed me. I turned to yell at her when I saw her mouth the words 'he's talking about you'.

"I met the most beautiful woman before I walked in here tonight," Sam continued.

The audience began to roar again. I could feel my heart racing, hoping that he was talking about me. Sam blushed and looked down at the ground.

"I'm really hoping that she's impressed by what I'm about to do, because this is for her." He winked before walking over to Tony and the crowd started to go wild again. "What do you think, Tony?" Sam asked as he gestured towards the crowd.

"I think that we need a volunteer," Tony said as he leaned forward and put his hand on his forehead like he was searching the crowd. People began screaming that they wanted to be picked. "Yell for us if you're from Texas!"

Artemis, Erika, and Tyler screamed so loud I had to cover my ears. There were a few other groups spread out in the audience that yelled too.

"Alright, alright, we got some Texas folks in here. Now yell for us if you're from Houston, specifically," Tony commanded.

Artemis, Erika, and Tyler yelled again as loud as they could. They were the only voices in the audience. I sunk down into my chair, feeling completely embarrassed already. Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse, a giant spotlight shined down on the four of us. The combination of the blinding light and the sound of the crowd cheering was disorienting.

It felt like Sam was looking directly at me] although I didn't think he could really see me from how far away he was. Artemis and Tyler started shoving me towards the aisle on the left of Erika.

"No, no, no," I protested, but they were way stronger than I am as it was three against one. Erika gave me one last little push out into the walkway, and the spotlight followed me.

"Perfect, please come up on stage." Sam had a cheeky grin on his face.

A couple of security guards walked over to me to guide me towards the stage. I could see myself up on the TV that was in the right hand corner above the stage.

I look really awkward. I need to smile and walk like a normal person.

I straightened my posture and fixed my face, hiding my severe anxiety about going up onto a stage in front of thousands of people. The crowd clapped for me as I hesitantly made my way to Sam.

Tony reached out and shook my hand, acting like we didn't already know each other. Vance shook my hand next, and then Sam. It felt like he lingered slightly longer, and his touch sent an electric current up my arm.

"Hello, can you introduce yourself to the audience please?" Sam held the microphone out in front of me, smirking.

"My name is Rachel," I said timidly.

Sam smiled reassuringly before asking me another question. It felt like my confidence was rising just from the way he was looking at me.

"Can you tell us what you do, Rachel?" The way he said my name caught me off guard, and I knew that I was as red as a tomato.

I tried to take a deep breath, and thought about what Lucas always told me. He always said that I needed to be specific when I introduced myself so I'm not underestimated. I took a quick breath to calm myself down, and answered with as much confidence as I could muster.

"I'm the head of the Math Department at Vanguard Preparatory." I flashed my best smile at Sam. The audience cheered loudly, and a few people yelled out something about how math rocks. Sam's cheeks started to turn pink as he rubbed the back of his neck.

Is he blushing?

He smiled awkwardly and nodded before joining in on the applause with Vance and Tony. His sudden timidness at my boost in confidence was adorable.

I think I just heard Tyler yell my name.

"Wow, that is quite impressive. I'm sure that you are a very busy woman. Do you have friends at work who help you out?" he asked.

I grinned as I heard Artemis, Erika, and Tyler screaming. I started giggling and nodded my head.

"Do you ever feel like your friends can sometimes read your mind? Like they just know when you need a helping hand?" Sam held his hand out to the audience dramatically as he tapped on his forehead.

"Yes, it's a little creepy sometimes," I answered.

"What if I told you that I could read your mind?" Sam said as he looked at me intensely.

His change in tone was sudden but intriguing, and I could feel butterflies swarming around in my gut. The audience 'oohed' and 'ahhed' as Sam walked around me slowly. My heart was beating a million miles a minute as he pulled the chair towards me and gestured for me to sit down. I followed his direction, fixing my hair as I sat so that none of my curls were stuck behind my ears

"Now, Rachel," Sam cleared his throat as he moved to my right. It took everything I had not to swoon as he said my name again. "Can you give us an example of when your friends read your mind?"

I looked out at the audience and tried to think of something quickly.

"There was this one time that I forgot my lunch at home," I began, smiling at the memory. "And I was really craving a burrito, but I was stuck in my office grading," some of the crowd began to cheer when I mentioned a burrito, others groaned when I mentioned grading. "Well, when I was headed to the cafeteria to buy lunch I saw my friend Artemis walking towards me with a brown paper bag," I raised my eyebrows and nodded and the crowd started clapping enthusiastically.

"Was there a burrito in the bag?" Sam asked as he rested his hand on his hip. The action moved his suit jack to the side, revealing his lean figure. I quickly bolted my eyes up to his face, but he was beaming at me like he caught me.

"There were like six burritos in the bag." I flipped my hair over my shoulder and giggled. Sam's eyes darted across me quickly, making my gut feel like it was on fire.

"I couldn't decide!" Artemis yelled out from the middle of the crowd, breaking the invisible room that Sam and I were just trapped in. They started laughing again and Sam took a step forward.

"That was a perfect example of when a close friend manages to read your mind and offer you some support at work. Those kinds of people are important; not just for educators, but for all fields." The audience roared in agreement.

They definitely make my day much easier, especially over the last six months.

"Now, I would like to demonstrate that I can also read Rachel's mind." Sam pulled a deck of cards out of his jacket pocket and the audience got even louder.

The anticipation was making me nauseous.

"Rachel," he said as he tossed the small cardboard box to Vance without looking. He began shuffling the cards that were inside. He was using my name a lot, and I was enjoying every second of it. Sam walked over to me and fanned out the deck of cards just inches away from my face.

"Would you please pick a card for me?" He smirked at me and the audience began to clap. His voice almost sounded sweet, as if he was asking me for a simple favor.

"Okay, Sam," I replied in a slightly breathier tone than I anticipated.

His smile grew as I slowly pulled a card from the left. I held it face down, not sure if I was allowed to look at it yet.

"Go ahead and look at your card, but don't let anyone else see it," Sam said as he shuffled the deck again. I glanced at the card while shielding it from peering eyes with my other hand.

It's an eight of hearts.

"Okay, have you memorized the card?" Sam asked. I nodded at him and he fanned out the deck once more. "Okay, please place your card back in the deck." I did as he said and he created another bridge between his hands. It wasn't hard not to follow orders from someone so handsome, his words were bewitching. My mind drifted as I thought about how sexy he would make other favors sound.

"Okay, I'm going to pick your card out of this deck." he flipped the cards dramatically, creating an even larger bridge with his arms spread out. His coordination and speed with his hands was very sexy, guiding my thoughts elsewhere again.

He pulled out a card and held it for me to see, snapping me out of my dirty mind bubble.

"Is this your card?" he asks.

It was a four of spades.

"No, it's not," I said as I shook my head at him. The audience gasped. Sam awkwardly pulled another card out and showed it to me.

"What about this one?" It was a queen of diamonds. I shook my head at him again, starting to get nervous.

"You know what, I don't think it's in here." Sam tossed the deck of cards behind him and they scattered all over the stage. I giggled at Sam's theatrics and brushed the rest of my hair over my shoulder. I caught him watching me for a moment before he composed himself.

"I think that you might have left it back at your seat," he stated. The audience made a loud shuffling noise as they followed the spotlight over to where I was sitting. "Artemis, can you please reach under Rachel's seat for me?" Sam asked, looking out to my friends. Artemis reached under my chair and pulled out a card.

"It's an eight of hearts!" she shouted as she held the card up high in the air. My jaw dropped.

"Is that your card, Rachel?" Sam asked as he looked at me. I laughed a little as I nodded my head in disbelief. The audience erupted into a loud applause, standing up from their chairs.

"Wait, I think there's some more," Sam yelled into the microphone to get the crowd's attention. He turned to look at me and it felt like his eyes were pulling me towards him. "To prove that I really can read your mind, Rachel," he said slowly as he walked towards me, not breaking eye contact. "I would like everyone in the audience to reach under their seat for me."

The people in the crowd began to move as they followed Sam's instructions.

Cheering and applause quickly spread out over the auditorium, filling it with excitement and joy as they held up the eight of hearts that was hiding under their chairs. My mouth was still open.

"I would like everyone to thank Rachel for being such a wonderful volunteer," he gestured to me and the audience continued to cheer loudly.

Sam's smile was burning holes into my eyes and filling them with desire. I found myself flashing him a seductive gaze before standing up slowly. His confidence wavered as he was taken aback by my forwardness, but it only lasted a second before he matched my yearning look. I broke away from the trap it felt like I was in as I turned and walked off of the stage.

I waved to the audience and flashed another smile. I started to feel embarrassed, hoping no one paid attention to the interaction between Sam and I.

My friends shook me around as I made my way back to my seat.

"That was amazing!" Erika shouted as she jumped up and down.

"That guy's got some moves," Tyler said as he winked at me. Okay, maybe Tyler noticed.

"Oh my god he's even sexier than we thought," Artemis grabbed each of my elbows. "How do you feel, kiddo?" She asked, grinning from ear to ear.

"I feel like I just drank twelve cups of coffee," I said, holding my shaking hands out. She laughed loudly and the audience began to take their seats again.

I almost collapsed into my chair as all of the sexual tension left my body. I didn't know what just happened, but I found myself craving Sam's eyes on me again.

I wondered what Lucas would think about me going up on stage in front of this many people. I was sure he would be proud of me for overcoming some of my stage fright and managing my anxiety. A feeling of guilt washed over me as I thought about how I interacted with Sam during the performance. If he was in fact flirting with me, I definitely flirted back.

"Honey, he is into you. And I mean, really into you," Artemis continued before turning her attention back to the stage. Artemis definitely noticed.

#

The rest of the presentation was uplifting, as multiple speakers from all over the country shared stories and wowed the audience with fun tricks and games. Nothing compared to Sam's performance, however.

The announcer came back out onto the stage.

"Well ladies and gentleman, that concludes the first public speaking event of the Innovative School Summit Conference! Thank you for your wonderful participation tonight."

The audience began to cheer and get up from their seats. "Just as a reminder, dinner is being provided tonight at seven o'clock. Everyone has been assigned a table with another group from their state. We hope to see you there!" he walked off the stage and the people cleared out.

Another group from our state.

I repeated the announcer's words in my head.

Maybe Sam will be at my table.

My friends and I walked out of the auditorium and I could finally breathe some semi fresh air. It was so hot in there, especially when I was up on stage in front of Sam.

"Well, let's go and get ready for dinner!" Erika exclaimed as we got further away from the crowd.

"Do you have anything that screams, 'I'm into magicians'?" Tyler made an invisible banner with his hands. I laughed out loud at my friends.

"Alright, you guys, settle down. I probably won't even run into him tonight." I waved them off as we walked towards the hotel to get ready for the evening. As we got closer to our rooms, my heart felt tormented as I thought about Lucas.