Page 17 of Glamour & Gumballs

“Illusions are the last type of magic. Myself, Reid, and Colt have that.”

My eyes widened. “Illusions? Like you can make people see things that aren’t there?”

“Yes.” He confirmed it. “See, feel, smell, hear, and touch. All of the senses are involved.”

“Holy hell. Can you use it on me? I want to see.”

“Mind magic is forbidden on the island.”

“Unless the contestant gives you permission,” I countered.

Rhett grunted. “My illusions aren’t as strong as they used to be. You won’t be impressed.”

“I still want to try it.”

He made a noise of complaint, but a moment later, my world slowly started to spin.

I gripped him tighter.

When the spinning ended, I was sitting on the same beach we occupied, but in a vastly different situation.

The sun was shining above me, making my skin warm all over.

I had sunglasses on my face, dulling the shine of it, and I was sprawled out on a lounge chair.

There was a bar behind me serving drinks, and a refreshingly cold glass in my hand.

I could hear the waves rolling lightly, and could taste salt on my lips when there had been rain a moment earlier.

It didn’t feel like reality, but it did feel real, if that made sense. I could tell it wasn’t genuinely happening, but the sensations made it nice anyway.

“Damn,” I breathed, watching dolphins jump out of the water as they swam past the beach.

It was beautiful.

Calm.

Peaceful.

Warm

And despite knowing it wasn’t genuine, it felt good.

The image slowly faded away, and I noticed the water on my skin and in my hair once again.

The cold, too.

Rhett’s warmth felt even more significant against me as the illusion disappeared.

“That was amazing,” I whispered.

“And here I was, hoping you’d hate it enough to kick me off the island.”

I rolled my eyes.

Rhett couldn’t sell that lie. He might not have wanted to be there, but he had made the illusion nice for me. He obviously wasn’t trying to make me fear him.

“If I had the power to remove anyone, I’d remove Jim,” I said.

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