"Hey, the show's on right now!" Ben, my younger brother, said as he ran into the den. Our older brother, David, and I were watching the football game on the TV. I don't really care for football, but I was bored and didn't want to argue with David.

"Yeah? Let's change the channel," David replied. He did nothing.

The room was dark and the only light came from the TV. I could see the floor was littered with game controllers and DVDs. The couch took up most of the room and the TV took up most of the wall.

"Please?" Ben asked.

No response, but that was expected; the only way to persuade David was to have something he wanted. Ben knew that. He ran off and came back with five dollars.

"David, I'll give you five bucks to leave so I can watch 'Magicians'," He said with a disappointed tone, holding out the bill.

That got David's attention; he snatched the bill, pocketing it. "Nice work, Ben. I guess I'll just watch the game in my room."

As he pushed past me to leave, I swiped the bill from his pocket, regaining what was Ben's. It wasn't fair for him to keep that money.

Ben plopped down on the couch next to me and flipped to the channel. I didn't usually watch TV with Ben, but what else was I going to do on a Sunday night? We had already missed five minutes. The host was talking to the magician, who was kind of young. He was introduced as J. Daniel Atlas. The skinny man was dressed up a tux, but that was the only neat thing about him. He had really messy dark hair with a thin face and prominent nose. As soon as he started his card tricks, I became engrossed. There was something about the carefree way he handled the cards. It was like he could tell where each card was at any given moment. I hung on the guy's every word and movement. This guy was really good. Atlas' illusions eluded me and I needed to figure out how he did it.

During the commercial break, I noticed that Ben had popcorn.

"Man, when did you get popcorn?"

"Like, ten minutes in. I asked if you wanted any, but you didn't say anything."

"Oh," I said, I took out his money. "This is yours," I handed it to him. Ben's eyes grew wide.

"How did you get that?" He asked in amazement.

"I took it as he was getting up."

Ben smiled. "Nice!" He gave me a high-five.

That was the first time, but not the last. I decided then and there that I could do that for people. I could be like Daniel Atlas; I could use illusions and tricks to entertain, amaze, and get a little justice on the side. Becoming famous wouldn't hurt either.

For the next few years of my high school career, nothing else mattered but becoming as good as I could. I tried card tricks, coins, rings, and pretty much any other equipment I could get my hands on. I practiced with card tricks under the desks at school. I practiced more than I did homework, but my parents wouldn't let my grades slip below a B-. I would tell my mom and dad that I knew what I was going to do; I was going to be a magician. My parents laughed and Dad ruffled my hair, saying that I still had plenty of time to decide.

However, I had already decided. I graduated and didn't go to college. My mom, mostly, wasn't happy with my decision, saying I'd never make any money. Trying to convince me, she challenged me to move out and try to live with my career choice. I guess she was right about the money factor, I'm kind of broke, but there's hope for me yet.