A Place to Belong

by Paige242

Seventeen-year-old Chris Halliwell can't wait to leave Magic School and start a normal life. He's always been singled out for being different and wants to put it all behind him. But when Chris' long-time nemesis leads a revolt against the school's magical half-breeds, our favourite witchlighter finds himself in a bigger mess than he could have imagined.

Chris slammed his lunch tray on the cafeteria table with more force than usual, eliciting brief glances from a few other students in the area. It had been a challenging morning and he had done his best to maintain his cool—but now that class was finally over and he was able to unwind in the company of his friends, it seemed that some of his pent-up tension was seeping out.

"That bad, huh?" His friend Eric asked, raising a dark eyebrow. Beside him, Lily let out a quiet snort of affirmation. She had been in the class too and as a half-mermaid she, more than most, knew exactly what he was going through. Eric (whose mother had been a fairy) could sympathize as well, but he was lucky and had gotten that mandatory credit out of the way in the first term. He'd hated it then, but at least he had already put it behind him.

Unfortunately for all three teens, a course entitled "creatures of the magical world" was required for all Magical School students in their final year. It wasn't terribly challenging, and the professor who ran it was nice enough (if a bit young and inexperienced). But, for a half breed, the experience could be more than a little uncomfortable. And today had been the worst day so far.

Chris had never liked being the centre of attention. His family name and his unique lineage sometimes made things difficult but he did his best to stay out of the spotlight and spent most of his spare time with his two closest friends. Wyatt had been the opposite during his time at school and it was impossible not to feel like he was living in his older brother's shadow most days. But, somehow, he had managed to maintain as much peace and privacy as possible during the last few years.

That was pretty impossible, however, when your class reached the chapter on whitelighters and every eye in the room (intentionally or not) instantly turned to you.

"Yep." Chris replied as he flopped into his seat and hunched over his unappetizing plate of food. "Happy whitelighter week." He muttered darkly.

His two friends exchanged a brief sympathetic glance and he felt Lily place a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"If you're lucky we'll get through the chapter in another day or two." The girl said, trying to be helpful. But the look on Eric's face quickly dashed Chris' hopes.

"It took us four days last term." The boy noted with a slight wince. "Sorry, man." He paused. "Did the professor let them ask you a ton of questions?"

Chris let out a heavy sigh. "To her credit, she did try to keep us focused on the book." He noted, his stomach churning at the recent memory. "But you know how meek Professor Ketler can be. She had a pretty hard time getting everyone to stop sniggering and refocus after we read the bit about witch-whitelighter relations being strictly forbidden. And when we got to the part on orbing Becky Thompson asked me if I could take turns orbing everyone around the room so that they could all know what it felt like. That opened the floodgates—thankfully the bell rang soon after. But I did get berated with a lot of stupid questions before that."

Chris rolled his eyes at the memory and tried his best not to think about what the rest of the week might bring. This had only been an introduction, and the chapter on whitelighters was longer than most. He already felt like a freak who had been put on display and it was probably going to get much, much worse.

"And Robert Sommers was acting like an asshole, of course." Lily noted, shaking her head in annoyance. "That's no surprise."

The Halliwell scowled.

Robert had been the bane of his existence for as long as he could remember and everyone knew that his father (who had far more wealth than common sense) actively campaigned for the continued segregation of the magical world. The Sommers were an old wiccan family, nearly as old as the Halliwell's, and for some ridiculous reason they seemed to take great pride in their "untainted" wiccan bloodline. According to Robert and his father, no Sommers had ever married a mortal—let alone another type of magical creature. They had been the loudest voices of protest when Magic School had been opened up to other types of magic users nearly a decade ago.

And since, as headmaster, Chris' father had spearheaded that initiative, Robert had made it his mission to make the boy's life hell. He had a knack for being sneaky and, because of his father's power, rarely got the punishment her deserved. For his part, Chris was not about to run crying to his parents about the situation—it was bad enough having his dad around at school, he didn't want to go running to Leo every time he had an issue. He was determined to prove that he could deal with things himself.

"Yeah, you know what he's like." The boy said, snapping his attention back to his friends. "He loudly commented that forbidding witch-whitelighter relationships was a fantastic rule, then he pretended to be very interested in the paragraph about whitelighter training. Said it was 'wonderful' that the elders had such a great training program in place so that magic school did not become overcrowded. Then he asked me how much longer it would be until I could stay Up There full time."

"God." Eric muttered in disgust. "How the hell does he get away with saying shit like that?"

"When we did the unit on Mermaids he 'kindly' offered to drive me to the coast on the weekend so that I could be more comfortable with my 'own kind.'" Lily added after taking a quick swig of her water. "He always manages to put on that innocent tone, as if he's being curious and helpful. Plus half of the teachers are terrified of his father."

It really was a toxic situation, and all three teens had been the target of their arrogant classmate and his supporters on countless occasions. It was a comfort, however, to know that they had each other. The trio had been inseparable through most of their time at school. Eric, who was half witch and half fairy, was his best friend. And Chris had known Lily almost his entire life. Her mother was a mermaid that the Charmed Ones had once helped unite with her mortal love and their families had stayed in touch throughout the years. Seeing her struggle to contain her mermaid magic in a mortal school had been part of the inspiration behind Leo's campaign to open up the school to magical non-witches. His father believed (and rightly so) that all magical children deserved a safe place to learn and grow.

While most students were still wiccan things had certainly become more diverse over the years. He, Lily and Eric were not the only not-quite witches in their year and several types of magical creatures were currently enrolled. It certainly wasn't the "disruptive flood" that Robert's father liked to harp on about, though. In Chris' view, everyone got along just fine and the program was easily adapted to accommodate different types of magic.

The only issue was people like Robert who believed the school had been better off under the old regime. Unfortunately, he did have his fair share of supporters.

"He loves asking me about my parents' sex life." Eric said with a small shudder. No teen liked to think about that, let alone be confronted about it on a weekly basis by a malicious classmate. "Fairies can take on human form. End of story." He muttered before taking a few bites of his sandwich. "Not that it's any of his business."

"It all just stems from his jealousy." Lily noted, glancing across the cafeteria to where the bully in question was currently sitting with his groupies. "Especially when it comes to you, Chris."

The Halliwell snorted. It didn't feel that way, but he supposed she had a point.

Robert's only active power was levitation, much to his father's disappointment. Chris, meanwhile, had several (mostly whitelighter) ones, and everyone knew who would easily win in a fight. Luckily for Robert, Chris had no interest in altercations with him—no matter how badly provoked. He hated the thought of getting himself in trouble for that scumbag and he had always done his best to ignore the constant jabs.

It wasn't easy, though. And some days he itched to orb him to an iceberg or send him hurling into the wall with a flick of his finger. But hew knew that the momentary satisfaction wouldn't be worth it.

He'd get himself into trouble and Robert would have another reason to advocate against the inclusion of all magical beings.

"Maybe." He muttered, unable to keep the scowl off of his face. "If he wants to trade places then he can be my guest. I'd be happy to fly under the radar for a change."

Lily brusquely shook her head in disapproval. "Come on, Chris. I know today hasn't been the best day in terms of fitting in, but you wouldn't really want to change things."

The boy shrugged, silently contemplating his answer.

For the most part, she was right. That morning, which had served to single him out as different, really did make things seem worse than usual. There was no doubt that he was now in a bit of a mood, and the thought of just being a regular witch was more appealing. But Lily was also right to say that he didn't truly want to change who he was. A few nuisances aside, being part-whitelighter was pretty handy and he couldn't picture a life without orbing or sensing. It was freeing to know that he could be anywhere in an instant and being able to sense where his loved ones were at all times was a constant source of reassurance. These things were as natural for him as breathing and it was hard to imagine going without.

"Being me is alright I guess." He conceded. "But there are a couple of things I wouldn't mind giving up. Extra training, for one."

Eric nodded, clearly agreeing with that sentiment. The school had arranged to bring in tutors from various communities to help the different groups hone their specific types of magic. For those without any wiccan background, like Lily, it wasn't too bad. She got to train her mermaid powers with a specialist while other people in their year took their spellcasting class.

But as half-witches, Chris and Eric had to attend both spellcasting and make time for extra training. That meant giving up their spare periods on Mondays and Wednesdays, something which most people in their predicament hated. But there was simply no other time to fit things in.

At first, Chris had begged his dad to get him out of it and just train him at home but Leo had refused. Even though the man was an excellent teacher, and had unclipped his wings almost ten years ago, he'd pointed out that it wasn't fair to give his sons preferential treatment just because he was headmaster.

So the burden of training the Halliwell brothers had fallen to the elders, much to the annoyance of most involved. Wyatt had hated his assigned tutor, a curmudgeonly old elder names Horace. The two had clashed horribly until Wyatt finally graduated last year. Chris, thankfully, had received the best of the lot. Sandra was fairly nice and had long-supported their family. But still, he did not enjoy attending special lessons. It made him feel different and no teenager liked giving up their spare time.

"Speaking of," Eric began reluctantly. "It's Monday."

Chris roughly placed his carton of milk back on the table, hardly noticing as some of the liquid sloshed over the sides.

"Fan-fucking-tastic." He replied, drawing an annoyed breath. "This day can't possibly get any worse."

But, as it turned out, he had spoken too soon.

As if on cue, the door to the cafeteria opened and several students stopped their conversations as a woman in long white robes stepped though the threshold. She didn't seem to notice the stares of those around her and she smiled warmly as she caught sight of Chris and began to make her way in his direction.

It took every ouch of strength he had not to let out a growl of annoyance as she approached.

"Blessed be, Christopher." Sandra said serenely, nodding her head towards him. "I arrived a little bit early today in hopes that we could pick up where we left off last Wednesday. I feel as if we were about to make a breakthrough and I think a bit of extra time is all we need." She paused. "Though I am sorry to interrupt your lunch."

Chris clenched his jaw and did his best to ignore the feeling of several eyes on his back. He was certain Robert would have a good jibe about this later.

"I'm not hungry." He muttered, looking towards the tray of uneaten food. His stomach was in knots. He'd barely touched the meal and he certainty wasn't going to now.

"Alright then." The elder replied, still smiling. "Meet me in the training room as soon as you're ready. Today is the day, I can feel it!"

Part of him wished that he could share her enthusiasm but all he could muster was a curt nod. It was a little bit exciting, he supposed. Sandra had been teaching him how to heal and he'd finally managed a few flashes of gold light at the end of their last session. It was the last major whitelighter power that he hadn't mastered, and there was no doubt that it would be a handy one to possesses. Sandra was convinced he could do it. But, until last week, he had been less certain. It did seem possible now though and if he hadn't been having such a horribly awkward day (made worse by her arrival) he probably would have been much happier about it.

Before he had a chance to properly respond Sandra dissolved into a column of blue lights. Most eyes in the room seemed to remain in his direction for several long moments before the students returned to their conversations.

Robert was still looking at him, though. He was certain of that.

"Well, I think that's enough to officially declare this a horrible day." Chris stated before pushing back his chair and standing up. It would have been much faster to follow Sandra's orbs, but he already felt like enough of a weirdo and decided that walking to the training room was a much better plan.

"Try not to think about this morning. And good luck with the healing." Lily offered with a reassuring smile.

Eric nodded. "We'll clear your tray man, don't worry. Maybe getting some distance from all of this," he gestured around the busy cafeteria, "will make things seem better."

"Thanks guys." Chris replied, giving his two friends a small smile. If it hadn't been for them he wasn't sure what he would have done. As annoying as things could be at times, it was always good to know that there were others who understood. Others who would always be there for him.

"I'll see you after."

The two waved before striking up a fresh conversation as Chris began to weave his way through the room. Most people seemed to avoid glancing over at him but he was pretty sure a few also began to whisper as he passed.

He probably should have been used to his pariah status by now, he mused with a small frown. It was nothing new after all of his years at Magic School. He hated that he still let it get to him and he tried to remind himself that he would be out the door in six short months. He would finally graduate and he had already started putting together applications for mortal colleges. Sure, keeping a big part of his life a secret would be a new challenge, but it would be nice not to arrive with his family's reputation in tow.

Amongst regular people, he wouldn't be "a Halliwell" or "the whitelighter half-breed"—he could finally just be Chris.

That was such a wonderful thought.

That was all he had ever wanted to be.

"Have fun, angel-boy. And ask her if you can finally stay Up There permanently. You know you don't belong here."

Chris did not have to turn around to know who that cruel hiss had come from and he did not give the other teen the satisfaction of a response as he passed.

Instead, he simply forged ahead to the cafeteria doors and pushed the open, making his way into the blissfully silent hallway.

Now, he could finally breathe.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Come on, Christopher. Focus. Let the feeling of peacefulness flow through you."

Although he truly had done his best to forget the events of that morning and throw himself into the training session with Sandra things had not been going well.

Last week, they had finally discovered what triggered his dormant healing powers. Unfortunately, it happened to be "peace"—which was an extremely hard feeling to tap into on a day like this. Nothing about him felt remotely peaceful and the somewhat annoying meditation exercises she had insisted on leading him thorough had only made him more tense.

The sort of silent contemplation that the elders were so fond of had never really been his thing. And that afternoon, when he had closed his eyes and forced himself to hover above the floor on a swirling bed of orbs, all he had been able to think about were the stares and comments of his classmates.

Thankfully the training room he had been assigned was secluded and private (he hated to think what those same classmates would say if they could see him now) but he wasn't really in the mood to tap into his whitelighter powers.

"Let the world around you fade away. Think only of the clam peace from within, and channel that feeling through your hands."

Chris took a deep breath and tried to listen to her instructions but as he opened one eye he could see that it wasn't working. There was no gold light forming around his fingers and he simply didn't see how it was going to be possible right now.

With a huff, he abruptly allowed his body to drop to the floor before looking up at his tutor with pursed lips.

"Sorry, can't do it." He said shortly before glancing up at the clock in hopes that their time together had already passed.

Unfortunately, it had not.

Sandra gave him a troubled look. She was used to some resistance from him, but he was definitely even less receptive than usual right now. "We both know that you can, Christopher." She noted, looking towards his glow-free hands. "Though for some reason it seems you are now unwilling."

The boy shrugged.

He really didn't want to get into it with her. She was nice enough but she was still an elder. She wouldn't understand the plight of a teenager. Plus, if he complained about Robert, she might tell his parents which would open up a whole new can of worms.

"Just not feeling all that peaceful today." He said, hoping that was enough of an explanation.

But Sandra did not look appeased. She paused for a moment, tilting her head to one side as she assessed her young pupil.

"I wasn't going to share this with you for a few more weeks, but I do have some exciting news. Perhaps it will help to motivate your journey." She said, smiling warmly.

Chris had to fight back a scoff. He was pretty sure she had a much different ideas about what constituted "good news" than he did.

He said nothing and the elder continued.

"I thought it would not be an option until after your eighteenth birthday, but the council has received signs that you will be ready to take on your whitelighter duties within the next few months." She began, her smile growing as she spoke. There was no doubt that she thought this was a wonderful declaration. "You could receive the call within a few weeks, even. And once you master your healing I know you will be as good, if not better, than any other whitelighter out there. You're a natural, Christopher. And I, for one, cannot wait to see you guide a new generation of good witches."

For a moment, Chris simply froze. Of all the things he had been expecting her to say, he had certainly not been expecting this. It felt as if all of the wind had suddenly been knocked out of him and it took him several moments to regain his internal composure.

Just when he had thought the day had already reached the peak of awfulness…

"Wait…what?" He stuttered stupidly, looking towards the elder. For her part, Sandra was still smiling proudly, clearly unaware of the internal turmoil she had just caused. "I'm not…I can't. I haven't even finished school yet! And Wyatt doesn't have charges. I thought that meant…"

Still oblivious, Sandra gave a soft chuckle. "You and your brother are very different people." She pointed out knowingly. "His senses and instincts are not nearly as refined as yours. His destiny, it seems, is to follow your mother and aunts in their quest to rid the world of evil."

"I'm a witch too. I can fight."

"Of course." The elder agreed. "But you are also so much like your father. A natural guide. Smart and motivated and devoted to the greater good. There is no doubt in my mind that you are well suited to this task."

It was clear that she saw all of these statements as a wonderful compliment but Chris could not gather the strength to play along. This was not what he wanted to hear—today or any day. Sure, it did seem that he had a knack for this stuff and he had always been way better at whitelighter things than his older brother. But he'd always hoped that his lack of firepower meant he could lead a fairly normal life one day. Yes, he knew he would always have certain duties as a Halliwell. But he wasn't a Charmed One, or the Twice Blessed. And that had always been a quiet comfort.

This was something he had not spent much time considering. He supposed that part of him thought he might be called up for whitelighter duty like his Aunt Paige one day. But she hadn't been given that until her 30s. And Wyatt was yet to receive any duties at all. At the very least, he'd thought that he had more time.

His mother was going to flip when she found out he would be getting charges before he even finished high school.

And he hated to think about how annoying that was going to be as he struggled through his last months in this place. It would be impossible to hide his differences if he felt a desperate call from a charge in the middle of class and had to orb out.

Robert would have a field day.

"Might as well tattoo the word 'freak' across my forehead and be done with it." Chris muttered, a little louder than he had intended.

Sandra, unfortunately, seemed to hear his bitter remark and a look of concern instantly crossed her face.

"I thought you would see this as exciting news. A new chapter in your magical journey." She noted, looking towards him. "Yet you seem troubled."

Now that he'd already let some of his feelings seep out, Chris did not hold back a snort.

"I get that you see this as a good thing." He conceded, running a hand through his shaggy dark hair. "But I'm just trying to survive high school—and here, being different doesn't make things easy. No use resisting though, right?" The teen noted, shaking his head in defeat. "I'll never be just a regular witch. Never be human. And when the universe decides it's time for me to have charges there is nothing I can do to stop it."

There was a short pause as the elder tried to process his remarks. He supposed that she wasn't used to training people who wanted to resist the call. All other whitelighters existed by choice, after all. They accepted their new role after their human lives ended and probably teemed with joy when the time finally came to guide witches.

But Chris was different. He and his brother and Aunt were the only people in history who hadn't been given a choice.

"Well, I suppose…"

"I can't do this right now. Sorry." Chris cut in, having no desire to get into a long discussion with her about this topic. "I've got to go."

"Christopher." She tried again, but he was too worn and overwhelmed to stay for a further discussion.

Quickly grabbing his schoolbag he offered the elder a terse nod before breezing towards the door.

He was pretty sure that he could hear Sandra calling out after him, but his blood was pumping too rapidly in his ears to hear her pleas. All he could focus on was steadying his ragged breaths and pushing himself forward in the abandoned hallway.

Chris would have given anything for the safety and privacy of his own room at the moment. He wasn't sure if he wanted to scream or cry, but his emotions were certainly threatening to overflow. He hated feeling so helpless—so out of control of his own destiny. He'd always thought that he'd have at least a little bit of choice but, if what Sandra was saying was correct, he had been naïve to hope.

Normal witches could decide how to live their lives. But not him. Not the half-breed freak.

People were right to stare at the boy who would never lead a normal life.

Thankfully, most students were still in class at the moment and that meant he would have at least a few minutes of blissful silence before he had to compose himself again.

Or so he assumed.

"Oh damn. You're still here, angel-boy."

The sound of an unexpected, but annoyingly familiar, voice caused the young man to freeze abruptly as he rounded the corner. This hallway, it seemed, was not abandoned after all. And he found himself face to face with the last person he wanted to see in a moment like this.

"Piss off, Robert." He snapped, unable to simply turn away from this unwelcomed encounter.

Chris had learned from an early age that it was no wise to engage with the bully—that was exactly what he wanted. But after a rough morning and the jarring news from Sandra, he did not have the strength to rise above.

"You really don't want to do this now, trust me." Chris warned, hoping that the other teen would heed his warning. His fists clenched tightly at his sides. He was usually pretty good at keeping things together but, quite frankly, he wasn't sure if he trusted himself in his current state.

Unsurprisingly, Robert was not smart enough to listen.

"Ooo, I'm so scared." The blonde replied sarcastically, a smirk on his arrogant well-chiselled face. "What are you going to do, throw sparkly lights at me? Everyone knows you're a useless pacifist."

Chris could not hold back a scoff at that remark. Sure, he didn't love fighting—but it was a necessity in the Halliwell household. Magic School was safe from evil so Robert had never seen his firepower in full force. There was no question that Chris could, and did, hold his own against the worst of demon-kind. He may not have been as powerful as his brother, but he was certainly no slouch.

And he was a hell of a lot more powerful than his smug classmate.

"You have no idea what you're talking about." Chris replied, fighting to keep his voice as calm as possible. That was proving to be far more difficult than usual. "Now get the hell out of my way and leave me alone."

Once again, Robert showed no signs of complying. Instead of moving aside, he took a step closer, his stance aggressive and his face etched with malice and amusement.

"Make me, you pathetic excuse for a witch." He shot back, smiling as he watched a flash of anger ripple through his target. In his emotional state, Chris was having a much harder time masking his reactions, much to Robert's satisfaction.

"Professor Ketler's class really got me thinking, today." The boy continued, taking on his trademark tone of feigned innocence. "That passage on witch-whistlighter relations was just so fascinating—I think you and your brother should be included in the book as an example of how horribly wrong things can go when the rules aren't followed. I can only imagine how terrible it must be to grow up as a half-human freak of nature. Too weak to be a witch or a whitelighter. Just stuck in between, a pathetic mess."

He clearly did not catch sight of the angry energy which had begun to involuntarily crackle between Chris' fingers.

Chris did not always have the best control over his electrokenesis, and since his powers were tied to his emotions keeping that sort of magic contained was increasingly difficult at a time like this.

Oblivious to the danger, Robert continued confidently as the other teen fought to quell the surge.

"I have to wonder how your mother was able to stomach sleeping with a dead person." He mused with fake curiosity. "Thankfully most people aren't that twisted. Halliwell's really do have some disgusting quirks, don't they?" He paused, eyes flashing with spite. "Or maybe she was just a desperate whore."

For Chris, the jab at his mother was the final straw.

He was used to the insults that were usually hurled his way. But this was a whole new level.

And Robert had chosen his timing very poorly.

Although the logical side of his brain knew it wasn't wise, Chris could not stop himself from letting out a growl of rage as his tormentor spoke his last words. Instinctually, he raised his hands in front of him to shove the other boy back—and his physical push was amplified with a burst of involuntary magical energy.

For a moment, the dim hallway was illuminated with the blue glow of his magic as bolts of lightening sprung from his fingertips and Robert let out a yell of pain and surprise as he was hurled back towards the cold brick wall behind him.

His body hit it with a satisfying crunch and the teen slid down onto the floor. He was slumped over now and for a second Chris felt an unspeakable terror wash over him.

He'd wanted the other boy to go away. Of course he had. But he hadn't meant to lose control like this. He felt a slight relief as he saw the other teen take several shaky breaths but, even though the worst had not happened, there was no doubt that Robert was injured.

Chris froze for another moment, his mind racing as he assessed his options. But before he could even take a step, a small group of students and teachers rounded the corner—all eyes widened as they tried to take in the scene.

He knew that it looked bad.

Robert was hovering on the edge of consciousness while he looked down at his hands in stunned disbelief.

"Mr. Sommers needs to be taken to the nurse. Immediately." One of the teachers noted after kneeling at the injured boy's side and giving him a quick check. "Can anyone transport him there magically? I don't think he can walk."

Robert let out a soft moan as his head lulled to the other side.

Without a word, Chris numbly took a few steps forward. Although part of him did feel bad for causing such a scene he had to admit that there was a slight satisfaction within him as well. He was relieved that things weren't worse, but there was no question that the other teen had it coming. After years of tormenting countless students who 'didn't belong' it was a wonder he hadn't been in this position before.

Perhaps it was wrong, but Chris felt oddly peaceful now that all of his tension had finally exploded.

He also knew what he needed to do.

"Mr. Halliwell, wha…"

But before the concerned teacher had a chance to question him further, Chris knelt beside Robert and reached out his hands. He was still fairly numb from the events of the past few minutes and it was as if his mind and body were somewhat detached. He felt like an observer as he looked down at the boy and yet, somehow, he still managed to focus on the task before him.

Although he had never fully managed it before, he somehow knew that he could and he was not shocked to see a warm glow of golden light flow out from his hands. He slowly moved them across the limp form and, in less than a minute, the blonde teen had regained his strength.

The reaction he received, however, was less than pleasant.

"Get the hell away from me, freak." Robert spat, scrambling back against the wall as soon as he was able.

Chris simply rolled his eyes.

"Gladly." He muttered, suddenly more aware of the many whispered conversations that several onlookers were partaking in.

Robert, however, had no intention of simply letting him go. "It was his fault, Professor McNeil!" He proclaimed, turning towards the teacher who remained at his side. "We were talking and then all of a sudden this crazy blue light shot out of his hands! He did this to me! He's dangerous!"

For his part, McNeil looked a little bit alarmed and Chris noticed him inch back slightly. Clearly, Robert's fear mongering was already working.

Chris probably should have pointed out that they had not been "talking" but he was too physically and emotionally drained to make his case. So instead, he simply sighed.

"You both need to go speak to the headmaster." The professor said, getting to his feet as he continued to watch Chris' every move. "Now."

Robert smirked, clearly satisfied with the direction things were taking, and Chris gritted his teeth.

This truly was the day from hell.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Chris had been called into his father's office on many occasions and most of those occasions had also involved Robert Sommers. To ward of any claims of partiality, Leo always invited the deputy headmaster (a short balding witch named Professor Collins). The two men now sat facing the teens and Collins' pen scratched away in the record book as Robert retold his side of the story.

As always, he glossed over the truth to paint himself in a favourable light. He had simply wanted to talk to Chris about class this morning, because he had a few questions about whitelighters. And then Chris had gone off, blasting him against the wall with some "very strong and clearly non-wiccan" magic.

Chris had sat and listened, his arms crossed and face neutral as his tormentor spun the tale.

"Christopher, do you have anything to say for yourself?" Collins asked, turning towards the brunette as Robert finally finished.

Chris could feel his father looking at him expectantly. Leo knew that the two boys had never gotten along and Chris had told him a little bit about the bulling when he was younger—but that did not keep the worry and disappointment off his face.

He briefly contemplated telling his dad what Robert had said about him and his mother. What had truly set him off. But he reasoned that that would only make things worse in the long run.

If Robert got in trouble, he'd double down on his efforts to make Chris' life as horrible as possible. And he already had more than enough on his plate.

It was better just to get this over with and move on.

"It was an accident." He replied, keeping his eyes firmly planted on his father's large oak desk. "Didn't mean to. And then I healed him."

Leo raised an eyebrow at this and it was clear there were many things he wanted to say. But, for the sake of his professionalism, he kept his lips pressed in a firm line.

"I see." Professor Collins muttered, jotting down a few more notes before exchanging a glance with Leo. "As we all know, using powers against another student is prohibited, but accidents do happen to those who are still in the midst of their training."

"Those weren't wiccan powers." Robert piped in again, adopting his "mocked surprise" shtick once again. "I know I'd feel much safer if Mr. Halliwell trained with his own kind, in a place where he wouldn't be able to accidentally hurt anyone." The teen paused, turning towards Leo. "Don't the elders have a place where they train whitelighters, headmaster?" He asked with fake curiosity. "Perhaps that is the safest place for him."

Chris could tell that his father was not pleased by this suggestion but, to his credit, he said nothing.

"Yes yes," Professor Collins cut in, still scratching away at his paper. "But Mr. Halliwell is also a witch and he needs to train all elements of his powers. There is nothing wrong with our current system but perhaps we can talk to Sandra about coming on Friday as well, until you can get all of your whitelighter powers under control." He finished, turning towards Chris.

He could tell that Robert was not fully satisfied with this response, but a cruel smile did cross his lips at the last remark. Chris used every ounce of strength he had left not to let out a groan.

Another day of training? Friday was the only day he currently had a study period and he hated the thought of giving that up.

His powers were just fine—even the best witches would have lost it at Robert's remarks. Extra training was totally unnecessary but arguing his case probably wouldn't get him anywhere at the moment.

"Do you agree, headmaster?"

Leo paused for a moment, glancing at his son before slowly nodding. "I will speak to Sandra." He conceded. "I believe that, plus a week of detention, should put this matter to rest."

Collins' nodded, clearly on board with that assessment. After jotting a few more notes down in his book he snapped it shut.

"Thank you for joining us, boy." He said curtly, standing up from his spot. "You are dismissed."

Chris quickly got up to go.

He wanted to put all of this behind him as quickly as possible and he was already late for final period. All he wanted to do was find a spot at the back of his class and take his mind off of things.

Unfortunately, his father seemed to have other ideas.

"Christopher, I would like a word." Leo said, still keeping up his formal tone in front of Professor Collins and the other student.

Much to his ire, Chris caught Robert smirking once more and their eyes locked briefly before the other boy finally left the office. Clearly, he thought Chris' father was really going to let him have it now.

Chris hoped that wasn't the case, but he had no idea what was in store. It was nearly impossible to tell what his dad was actually thinking during these meetings. He, like his son, was usually quite good at hiding his cards well.

Once the other two exited, and Professor Collins closed the door behind him, Leo finally let out a long, heavy breath.

He was clearly agitated, Chris assessed, but he did not seem terribly mad.

After running a hand through his dark blonde hair, Leo turned towards his son expectantly.

"What actually happened today, Chris?" He asked, leaning back in his chair. "I could tell that you weren't telling us everything. Was Robert trying to get you worked up again?"

His dad was a perceptive person and he wasn't shocked that he hadn't bought Chris' nonchalant act.

But still, even with the current level of privacy, he didn't want to fully open up. He could fight his own battles.

The teen decided to go with half-truths.

"You know what he's like, dad." Chris began, sighing. "He's an asshole, like his father. And he likes to take every opportunity he can to tell me I don't belong here. It is what it is."

His dad paused for a moment, giving him a once-over.

"Of course you belong here. You know that." Leo stated, shaking his head in disgust at the other boy's sentiments. He'd had more than one encounter with Robert's father over the years. Unfortunately, he was a member of the Magic School board and had never let up in his campaign to keep the school entirely wiccan. "It's not like you to lose control like that." He noted with concern.

"Well I did." Chris shrugged, wishing his father would just drop it.

As always, however, Leo did not let him go that easily.

"I also spoke to Sandra today. Right before I heard about all of this." He said, gesturing around the room.

Chris felt his stomach flop. Of course he had, he thought bitterly. He and Sandra were friends, and he knew she sometimes updated his father on his progress more than he would have liked.

"And?" Chris asked, flopping back in his chair dejectedly.

"She said you seemed troubled, and that you ran out of your training session early." Leo began as he continued to look at his youngest son with concern. "Chris, what's going on? You know you can talk to me if something is bothering you."

Despite himself, Chris let out a small snort. He'd always had a great relationship with his father, but this was definitely not something he wanted to talk to the man about. The truth would only hurt.

Chris drew a breath. "I'm fine, dad." He stated, trying to muster a smile. "Just tired."

The man did not look the least bit appeased.

"Christopher…" His dad prompted, leaning forward and clasping his hands on his desk.

The teen let out a frustrated sigh. Clearly, he wasn't going to be allowed out of the room until he shared something. Stubbornness was also something he and his father had in common.

"Fine." He hissed through gritted teeth as he contemplated just how much he would have to confess before being let off the hook. "You know I hate being the centre of attention, but it was kinda impossible not to be in Professor Ketler's class this morning. We've reached the chapter on whitelighters and it was hard not to feel like the local freakshow. Everyone was starring." He paused. "Happy now?"

Leo's brow furrowed with increased concern. "I can see why you wouldn't enjoy that." He noted. "But you're not a freak Chris, you know that."

Once again forgetting his filter, Chris gave a bitter laugh. "Do I?" He asked, raising his eyebrow. "Now that Wyatt's gone, I'm the only half-whitelighter here. And there are only three of us in the entire history of the planet, as far as we know. I'm definitely not normal. Even by magical standards."

"Chris," his father began again but the boy cut him off.

"But whatever. It's fine. I'm used to it. And in six months I can get out of this place and pretend to be normal somewhere else." He paused. "Can I go now?"

His father hesitated for a moment and it was clear that there was much more he wanted to say. "You remind me of your mother so much sometimes," he began, a small smile crossing his face. "I'm glad you're looking forward to the future, Chris. But I wish we could find a way to make things better now." He hesitated again. "And you do know that, even if you go to a mortal college, magic is still going to be a big part of your life. You'll always be a Halliwell and—"

"A whitelighter?" Chris finished for him, more bitterness in his tone than he had expected.

His father nodded. "Sandra also told me the news." He noted, softer than before.

He still looked concerned as he spoke. And Chris was fairly certain that he looked apologetic as well.

This was exactly the sort of conversation he had been hoping to avoid. He may not have loved his lot in life, but he didn't want to make his father feel guilty. Technically, Leo was the reason he wasn't exactly normal—but he didn't blame his father. He didn't want to man to think that he did.

"Yep. Getting my first charge any time now." He said, trying to keep his tone neutral. It was the first time he had actually said that out loud since Sandra's proclamation and the statement felt weird on his lips. Everything that day had been a surreal shitstorm and he was still trying to come to terms with this revelation. "Seems like I've mastered my healing earlier than anticipated so I guess I'm ready."

"Do you feel ready?"

The boy snorted again. "Does it matter?" He asked, his calm façade slipping once again.

Leo sighed. "I suppose not." He replied, biting his lip. "Chris I'm—"

Chris quickly cut him off. "Dad, stop. It's fine, really. I'll get used to the idea. And I don't blame you, okay? It's just…it has been a hectic day."

His father let out yet another heavy breath. "Okay." He said, skeptically. His eyes had not stopped assessing his son. "If you're sure you're alright then you'd better be off to class. Detention will start tomorrow and I will talk to Sandra about adding one more training session. I'm proud of you for tapping into your healing power, Chris. But that can take a long time to hone. And you need to make sure your electrokenesis is under control."

Chris could not hide his scowl but he silently accepted his fate. Hopefully the extra training would only be temporary, and a week of detention wasn't that bad, considering. All he would have to do is sit in the study hall for an hour—it would give him a chance to get a head start on his college essays.

As he turned to leave his father's voice stopped him in mid-stride.

"And Chris," the man added, his tone still laced with concern. "If Robert Sommers keeps harassing you, you need to report it. I know that he has adopted some of his father's unsavory views and it's not okay."

"Sure dad. I will." Chris quickly lied. "See you at home."

With a quick forced smile the teen made his way out of the office. He wasn't usually keen to get to his magical history class but today it would be a much-needed distraction.

Plus it would feel good to relay the entire story to Lily and Eric after school. He may not have loved sharing his feelings with his father, but he definitely needed to unload.

A smile slowly crossed his face as he continued his trek. If they were free, he mused happily, he could orb them to their favourite café in Paris. He may have been a freak, but at least that definitely had some advantages.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Although he should have been in his magical theory class, Robert had managed to successfully play the victim card to get himself excused. Sure, Halliwell hadn't been punished as harshly as he had hoped for his little outburst, but Robert knew which professors he could easily get on his side when necessary.

Professor Ruiz had never been overly fond of the Halliwell's and she had sympathetically listened to his excuses.

It was a small victory, but one that brought him much satisfaction.

The stupid whitelighter wasn't gone yet, but at least he'd had the sense not to rat him out. And he'd looked completely miserable during their time in the office. That also brought a smile to Robert's face. He'd always hated the smug little half-breed and he liked seeing him knocked down a few pegs. Sure, he might have had a long list of stupid pacifist powers but that was only because he was an abomination. He'd always seen it as his duty to remind the boy of that and to makes sure that all creatures and half-breeds knew where they stood on the magical totem pole.

As his father always said, witches reigned supreme. And those with tainted blood had no place amongst their kind.

Every type of magical being had their proper home—the oceans, the heavens, the enchanted forest—those were places far more suited to the types who had been allowed to infest their school. The earthly realm had always been meant for witches. And only witches.

Robert knew that he was not alone in these sentiments. He had a solid group of friends, all of whom agreed with these notions. And he was willing to bet that even more secretly harboured such feelings. They were just too afraid of the Halliwell's and their allies to dare to speak such things out loud.

But Robert wasn't afraid. He wore his father's legacy with pride.

It sickened him to see people like Chris and his lackies darkening these hallowed halls and, as he sat starring up at the enchanted ceiling of the school his ancestors had attended for centuries, the beginnings of a plan began to form in his head.

He would show Halliwell and his friends their place.

He would expose them for what they were.

It was only a matter of time…

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"It's a bit creepy, don't you think, Professor Ketler? The way these…beings can sense where we are at all times. Find us, even when we don't want to be found."

It was day four of their class on whitelighters and Robert was at it yet again.

As expected, he'd gone out of his way to ask uncomfortable questions the entire week. And, since the Professor was still fairly inexperienced, she'd taken to turning to Chris for most of the answers. That was the last thing Chris wanted—and Robert knew it. Which was exactly why he kept harping on.

"I just wonder how that power works," he mused with disingenuous interest. "I mean, can they literally see us? Whenever they want? Or is it more of a general sensing power?"

Chris could tell instantly that Ketler did not have an answer and he felt his insides twist uncomfortably. "I, well…I'm not entirely sure, to be honest Mr. Sommers." She began with a slight stutter. "Perhaps Mr. Halliwell…"

Chris fought back a scowl. This was the sixth time she'd deferred to him that hour and everyone was looking back at him once again. He'd arrived early to get a seat at the back, but that hadn't helped. Everyone still managed to stare, it was just more obvious that they were doing so now.

Lily, and a half-leprechaun in the class named Kyle, were the only ones who kept their eyes downcast. They both knew the feeling of being singled out far too well.

Chris let out a silent breath and prayed time was almost up.

"They can't actually see you." He answered, his voice a controlled monotone. "It's a general sense. A feeling. When they focus they can tell where someone is by feeling for their aura."

"Don't you mean 'we'?" Robert asked, smirking in a way that the Professor could not see. "And that still sounds a bit invasive if you ask me. I, for one, don't want a creepy angel spying on me."

Chris looked up at the ceiling and slowly counted down from ten in his mind. He was determined to get through this week without any more outbursts and, unfortunately, that sometimes required quite a bit of effort.

"Now Robert," Professor Ketler began, her voice still wavering. "I don't think that's polite and I hope…"

But before she could finish her lame attempt to control the teen the bell echoed through the room and a loud bustle of chairs and chatter filled the room.

"Don't forget to finish reading the chapter tonight!" Ketler noted, her voice barely audible above the clamour.

Chris, for one, hoped that meant they were nearly finished with the unit. That was a silver lining, at least, and he could not wait to put the past few days behind him. His dad had stayed off his back, thankfully. And there had not been any more major altercations with Robert. Aside from asking annoying questions in class, the boy had stayed further away from him than usual. He hadn't even seen him around the cafeteria the last few days. Maybe the shock from his electrokenesis had really knocked something out of him.

That, or he was up to something.

Chris strongly hoped it was the former.

As he and Lily left the class together they were both pleased to see Eric waiting for them in the hallway. Neither of them had seen the third member of their trio yet that day and Lily greeted him with a tight and enthusiastic hug.

The half-fairy, who was usually a pretty relaxed guy, only offered a small smile in return. Chris could instantly tell that something was bothering their friend and he sent him an inquisitive look.

"What's up?" He asked, cocking his head to the side as he assessed the other boy. He looked okay but something was definitely off about his demeanour. Plus, Eric usually just met them in the cafeteria after morning classes. It was a bit odd that he had been waiting for them here.

"Not here." The teen replied, his eyes briefly landing on Robert who was huddled with a small group of his followers near the classroom door. "This way."

Lily and Chris exchanged a concerned look but they silently followed their friend around the corner. None of the three spoke as they walked down the quiet hallway and Eric did not turn around until they had entered an abandoned classroom and shut the door.

"Okay man, what's up?" Chris asked as he leaned back against a dusty unused desk. Clearly, this was a room that had not been used in quite some time. "You're acting weird."

Eric let out a troubled sigh before nodding. "Yeah, sorry. I didn't want to say anything until I was sure we were alone."

The other two waited expectantly.

"I've told you that fairies can sense powerful magic, right?" He asked. His friend nodded. "Well I've had a bit of a weird feeling the last couple of days. And I checked with Ellie this morning to see if she felt the same thing." Eric said, referring to a fairy who was two years below them. "Well, she feels it too. And it seems to be coming from the east wing."

"Okay." Chris began, still confused. "So what is it then? Do you know?"

"No." Eric answered worriedly. "Well, not really." He corrected. "I've also been keeping an ear out, and I think it has something to do with some stupid club Robert has started organizing. I overheard two kids talking about it before my first class this morning. He's calling it the S.F.W.P. and, apparently, he's managed to rally about forty members in the last two days."

Lily scrunched up her nose. "What the hell does S.F.W.P. stand for?" She asked, voicing what was on the top of Chris' mind as well.

Eric scowled. "The society for wiccan purity." He replied, shaking his head in disgust.

To his left, Lily looked mortified and he too felt a wave of anger wash over him. He wasn't shocked that the other teen would pull a stunt like this but it truly was a revolting move. It was hard to wrap his head around how someone could be so narrow-minded and spiteful but, he supposed, this was how Robert had been raised. And, if he had already managed to rally members, then clearly he wasn't alone in this.

"Chris, you have to tell your dad." Lily urged, her blue eyes wide as she turned towards her friend. "This is just too far."

On some level, Chris agreed that it might actually be time for some higher intervention. His dad would be mortified by this, and he would be sure to shut it down quickly. But, he wondered, would that really stop anything? If Robert couldn't gather his stupid club on campus then he would just find another location—and then they would have no way of keeping tabs on the situation.

Personally, he wanted to figure out exactly what the boy was planning before they got it shut down.

"Yeah," Chris began slowly as he continued to think it through. "But maybe not quite yet. I think we should give it a bit more time, maybe a week or two, to develop. Maybe we should figure out what he's hoping to achieve with this nonsense, or really let himself get in trouble, before we take it further. If we're lucky, he may even manage to get himself expelled."

Lily looked concerned. "I suppose," she said, clearly unconvinced. "But we know what he wants, don't we? He wants your dad fired and people like us banished from Magic School."

"Yeah, but if he actually thinks he can achieve that by rallying a handful of students together in some prejudiced club then he's delusional." Eric scoffed before placing a reassuring arm around Lily's shoulder.

That seemed to help calm her somewhat and Chris briefly found himself wondering if he would soon become the third wheel in their little group. Something seemed to be developing recently, and his friends were undoubtedly a good pair.

But there were more pressing matters at hand.

"It might be a good idea to warn people, though." Eric noted, looking towards Chris. "If he's going to start targeting people like us it would be good to give everyone a head's up."

The brunette nodded in agreement.

"We could use this room for our own meeting. Do you think we can quietly spread the word by the end of the day? I have detention, but this won't take long. I can astral project in and just pretend I fell asleep at the study hall table."

After a few more minutes of discussion the three felt satisfied with the first stages of their plan. They wouldn't report Robert right away and would do their best to alert other magical beings and halflings so that they'd be on high alert. Robert may have been sneaky, but he couldn't possibly evade them for long. And, if he was as arrogant as they all knew he was, it was only a matter of time before he took things too far and landed himself in a world of trouble.

By the time they made their way out of the dusty classroom Chris felt better than he had in days. Robert's stupidity clearly knew no bounds and he hoped this was what would finally expose the bully for the low-life that he was.

It seemed like it would only be a matter of time…

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Everyone, please! Calm down!"

It was almost five o'clock and the meeting they had called had gone on much longer than anticipated.

He should have expected more unrest, he supposed. As non-witches and wiccan half-breeds, most of the people in this room had been on the receiving end of Robert's tactics at one time or another and they were rightfully upset to learn that their classmate was beginning to organize against them. Chris fully understood and shared their disgust but he had hoped that more would be on-board with his plan.

Clearly, however, some needed more convincing than others.

"Look, I get it. It would be great to turn him in now and stop it before it starts." Chris conceded and several other students nodded. There were about twenty-five present in the small dusty room and at least eight were still set against leaving things to develop.

"So why don't we then?" a nearby wood nymph asked, folding her arms across her chest. Others around her nodded again.

"Because, like I was saying," Chris began again. "It's too early. We all know what Robert is like. He'll deny any wrong doing and get the teachers to believe that he was just trying to start a chess club or something. But if we wait a bit, chances are he'll do something really stupid. Then, there won't be any room for denial."

A quiet murmur spread across the room.

"But what if that 'something stupid' involves harming us in some way?" Kyle asked, anxious at the thought.

"That's why we're warning everyone." Chris replied in what he hoped was a reassuring tone. "We all need to be on high alert and keep an eye on the non-wiccans and half-wiccans in the primary school as well. I doubt he'd go there, but we never know."

They had only invited students from eighth to twelfth grade to the current meeting—he hadn't wanted to scare any of the young students and they would not have been able to stick around after the school day had finished anyway. As he had said, with all of the older students keeping an eye out, he was pretty sure things would be okay.

"I wish one of us could find a way into one of his meetings. That might speed things up." Eric mused out loud, turning towards Chris for a moment. "You can use your invisibility, can't you Chris? You could try."

It wasn't a bad idea, Chris thought to himself. And it would be great to get the inside scoop on whatever was going down in there.

"My invisibility is still a bit shaky sometimes," he noted truthfully. "But I'll work on it. We'll need to figure out where and when they're meeting, though."

Suddenly, his first Friday training session with Sandra didn't seem so terrible. He'd ask her to help him practice that particular power and, hopefully, he'd manage to get a better handle on things as soon as possible.

"I might be able to do some spying," Ellie offered helpfully from her perch on one of the dusty desks. "When I take on fairy form I'm pretty small. Obviously. I could try to trail Robert and his friends at lunch tomorrow to see what I find out." She paused. "You're welcome to join me too, Eric." She noted, turning to her fellow half-fairy.

The boy wrinkled up his nose involuntarily before politely declining. It was no secret that he hated taking on his other form and, despite their long friendship, Chris was yet to see him do it. It was hard to picture the six-foot-two teen as a tiny being with glistening wings, even though he knew it was possible.

Pretty much everyone present in the darkened classroom looked entirely normal to the casual onlooker. They were all capable of blending into the general magic school population and that made Robert's mission all the more frustrating. Nobody here wished to do the school harm. They simply wanted to learn how to use their magic to the best of their abilities.

"Why are you in charge of all of this, that's what I want to know." The skeptical wood nymph piped in again, her eyes locked on Chris. Nearby, a half-demon named Joshua nodded in agreement.

"Is it because your dad is the boss? Or because whitelighters always think they're better than everyone else?" The boy chimed in.

Chris did his best not to roll his eyes. While he was not nearly as bad as Robert, Joshua had never been one of his favourite people. It was no surprise he was putting up a bit of resistance.

"I don't think I'm better than anyone." He said truthfully, looking towards the naysayer. "And I don't want to be in charge, either. If you have a better plan then by all means, stand up here and tell us what it is."

Thankfully the boy simply leaned back in his seat as he muttered something about arrogant angels. Chris chose to ignore the remark and continued.

"Alright then." He began again, surveying the room. Most people seemed to have calmed and it was getting late. He was surprised no one had discovered his scheme to astral project out of detention yet, and it was probably only a matter of time. "If we're all on board then that seems like enough for today. Remember to keep and ear out and pass on anything you might hear. And if we need to meet here again, the code phrase will be 'dinner is at four o'clock' today."

Most present nodded.

Overall, Chris felt satisfied that they had made some progress and given everyone fair warning. With luck, Robert would be right where they wanted him within a couple of weeks. The boy was not a patient one, and whatever he wanted his club to accomplish would probably be put into action soon.

As people began to filter out, Eric gave him a reassuring pat on the back.

"Good job, man." He said, smiling. "See, you are a natural guide."

Chris scoffed and shook his head. He had told his friends about Sandra's comments on his destiny the other day and they had been both sympathetic and excited. Apparently, Lily and Eric had always thought he'd make an excellent whitelighter. They had meant that as a compliment, but he was still struggling to reconcile himself to the idea.

"I've gotta get back to detention." He noted with a sigh as he looked around at the stragglers who were lagging behind. "Will you guys shut off the lights and cover our tracks?" He asked, glancing between his two closest confidants.

They, of course, nodded and wished him well before he finally snapped back into his body.

Somehow, it seemed that his absence had not aroused any suspicion. In fact, another student at a nearby desk was currently snoring away as well. And the teacher in charge of overseeing the room was engrossed in some sort of old book.

Chris glanced at the clock. Only five minutes to go.

All things considered, it really hadn't been a terrible day. Sure, first period was still annoying and learning about Robert's club was unsettling. But he'd made it though and he felt good about moving ahead.

With luck, they would finally take the other teen down.

It was still early days, but Chris was suddenly full of hope.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Yes, but what about your healing?"

It was Friday, and Chris was in his third mandatory training session of the week. While he had been quite down about it on both Monday and Wednesday, his tutor had been pleased to see him arrive with renewed energy that day.

He could tell that she had been bracing herself for the worst, and her first comments had been more cautious than usual.

But once she had sensed his good mood, she had happily relaxed and gave into his request to start this session with some invisibility training. Like electrokenesis, it was an elder power and one of the ones he had always struggled with most. He could do it, but it only seemed to work well when he was standing still. As soon as he moved, things got a little more unreliable.

They'd spent most of the hour working on it and he did feel that things were improving. Christopher Halliwell was nothing if not determined, and now that he had a very good reason to master this skill he had set his mind to it.

"That's been working just fine. Since the incident." Chris noted, holding up his right hand and briefly letting a golden glow surround it.

It really was quite something, he supposed. After years of struggling, it seemed that he had mastered the most complex whitelighter power in a few short days. Perhaps it was a bit twisted but blasting Robert into that wall had provided him with such a great sense of relief. It was something he had clearly been itching to do for ages and giving his nemesis a taste of what he deserved had brought with it a wave of calm. He hadn't shared that part with Sandra, of course. She was a true pacifist and she probably didn't want to hear about the role revenge had played in his development.

But whatever the reason, it had worked. And Chris could now officially add healing to his roster. (His mother had made him his favourite chocolate cake to celebrate and he hadn't even gotten in trouble for getting detention).

"I really want to focus on getting the invisibility down. I'm feeling inspired." Chris pushed, telling another half-truth.

He and his friends had not shared their plan with any adults in the past day and a half and he did not intend to now. Not much had developed yet and they were still hoping that Ellie would manage to find some relevant information during her spying attempts. So far, she hadn't had any luck.

"Alright then," Sandra gave in, never one to dash a student's moment of inspiration. Especially one as moody as Chris. "Try again. Stand in that corner and see if you can walk across the room while keeping the invisibility active. Remember, like all whitelighter powers this one comes from your inner light. Try to latch onto that same feeling of lightness you get when orbing without actually letting your body dissolve."

He nodded, trying his best to keep her advice in mind as he put himself in position. A moment later, he allowed himself to become invisible and tried to keep his mind on the feeling of lightness she had described.

Much to his delight, it seemed to work. He made his way across the room, faster and faster until he successfully reached his destination.

With a whoop of excitement he finally relaxed and was a bit surprised when he involuntarily felt himself dissolve into orbs. He managed to reform a few seconds later—now visible and with a look of surprise on his face.

He'd been orbing since he had been an infant and it had been a very long time before he had lost control over it like that.

Clearly seeing his shock, Sandra offered a reassuring smile. "It's okay, Chris." She offered helpfully. "That can happen when we focus too strongly on activating a new power. We're beings of light, and our bodies are most comfortable in that state. You just needed a moment to recharge."

"Oh."

Although it was good to have an explanation for his brief snap those words were not very reassuring. The feeling of discomfort he had been feeling more than usual lately suddenly came surging back.

"But, I mean, does that really apply to me?" He asked, his brow furrowing. "I'm not a full whitelighter."

Sandra simply continued to smile. As always, she did not sense his unease. "You can orb." She stated, pointing out the obvious. "That makes you a being of light, just as much as the rest of us. As far as I can tell, when it comes to you and your brother and your aunt, the whitelighter side takes precedence. You have other powers, and can preform spells like other witches, but on a molecular level you would all test as whitelighters. A human body cannot dissolve itself into light."

All Chris could do for a moment was mutter another quiet 'oh.' Sandra meant well, but her insights only seemed to highlight his differences.

He hadn't spent much time thinking about his body on a "molecular level" but what she had said did make a lot of sense. He may have looked human but the nature of his origins and his powers made him something very, very different.

It was an unsettling thought.

"Well," Sandra began again with another smile. "I think that's enough for today. If you are practicing on your own just remember to let go of the light a little bit sooner next time. That should help you to stay solid."

"Okay, thanks." Chris replied, trying to mask his ongoing disquiet.

After giving him a reassuring pat on the shoulder and her customary "blessed be," the elder dissolved into a column of blue lights, en route to her home in the heavens.

As Chris watched her fade away, he very briefly felt an unwelcomed urge to follow. He very rarely admitted it, even to his brother, but he did sometimes find himself involuntarily yearning for that place. It was stupid, really. The heavens were boring, especially for a teenage boy. Just clouds and columns and marble buildings full of rooms for silent contemplation.

He rarely had a reason to go Up There, but sometimes he would make an excuse to do so. Like it or not, it was a calming place—and he always returned feeling recharged, no matter how short the visit.

Lily had once told him she felt the same way about the ocean and, as he looked around the dull old classroom, he found himself wondering if Robert had the tiniest bit of a point.

Maybe this wasn't his world.

No. Chris shook his head with determination, trying to rid it of such a silly thought. Doing his best to brush it aside, Chris refocused on the task at hand. He had fifteen minutes to spare, and that was enough time to keep going. After briefly shutting his eyes, he forced himself to become invisible again and made his way across the room.

One foot, then the other.

Chris knew that he had to keep going.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It four o'clock. And while they hadn't called a full meeting, Chris, Lily, Eric, Ellie and the handful of people they had managed to make eye contact with during their trek down the hallway had made their way to the abandoned classroom.

Ellie had come up to him a few minutes ago, her eyes flashing with excitement.

While she couldn't disclose everything in public, she had whispered that she had an update and that they needed to act fast. Chris knew that he might get in trouble for skipping out on detention, but he was willing to face the consequences if it meant finally getting to Robert.

The boy had continued to lay very low that week and they were all quite suspicious of his intentions. It was hard not to worry when Robert was involved, but Ellie's update seemed to bode well.

"They're meeting tonight. At 6." She said, clearly proud that her fact-finding tactics had worked. "Once most students and teachers have gone home for the day."

A few did board at the school but the vast majority would definitely be out of the way by that point, making it a good time to hold a more discreet meeting. It would also be easy enough for those involved to wait around and "study" without arousing suspicion.

"I'm not exactly sure where, but it's definitely in the east wing. He said something about staking a few people out near the library to keep watch." She paused. "Sorry I couldn't get the exact room."

Chris gave her a reassuring smile. "No, you did great." He said happily. "Plus I can probably sense him if I try. I know him well enough." Chris paused, wrinkling his face in displeasure. "Unfortunately."

"So what should we do then?" Lily asked, looking around the room as she fiddled with the ends of her auburn hair. It was one of her nervous ticks and Chris recognized it well.

"I don't think there is much we can do right now." Eric pointed out with a shrug. "A few minutes before six maybe you can fly back in that direction and steak it out, Ellie." He suggested before turning to Chris. "When she gives you the go ahead you can go invisible and do your best to find him. Hopefully, you can sneak into their meeting undetected and figure out what the hell is going on."

The Halliwell nodded in agreement. It wasn't an amazing plan, but it was the best they had. And even if he didn't manage to get into the meeting today, they might at least get a few more leads. That would be something.

"Okay, great." Chris said, glancing at the clock. If he orbed, he could still make it to detention in time and avoid creating more problems for himself. "I'm gonna dash to the study hall then." He said, standing up from his spot. "I'll be free at five thirty to meet back here and then we'll get moving. Call me if you need anything."

With a final nod, Chris quickly orbed out. His heart was already beating with anticipation.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

An hour and a half had never felt so slow.

It had been impossible for him to focus on anything but the clock during his time in detention and he was pretty sure that he had been annoying everyone else with his antsy foot tapping.

He couldn't control it, though. He was teeming with nervous energy and he had never been happier to see a clock finally strike 5:30. Without waiting for the official go-ahead, Chris frantically gathered his things and orbed out, back towards the classroom where his friends had been waiting.

He was sure that had attracted a few glances—which was why he usually avoided orbing on school grounds. But today he simply didn't care. He'd take any unwanted attention if it meant getting to his location faster.

Eric, Lily and six other students were still gathered there and nervous chatter filled the air. As he rematerialized most turned towards him.

"Orbing is so much cooler than flying." Ellie noted, letting out a soft sigh.

Chris shrugged while Eric let out a small snort. "No arguments there," the half-fairy muttered, nodding towards the younger girl.

"Well I can only teleport when there is a rainbow out, so I think you all have me beat." Kyle cut in as he closed the notebook he had been looking at. "Leprechaun powers are lame."

It was Lily's turn to disagree. "All I can do is manipulate water. Oh, and lure sailors to their death with a song," she noted with a roll of her eyes. "Not really my cup of tea. I definitely lose."

"Well, clearly I've been missing a super fun pity party in here," Chris said, playfully shaking his head at his friends.

"Whitelighter powers are clearly the coolest." Ellie piped in again, looking back over at the Halliwell. "Being an angel must be so awesome."

Chris raised an eyebrow and did his best to brush off the dreamy undertone in her voice. Truth be told, the girl seemed a little enamoured. But he needed to keep everyone focused on the task at hand.

"Stop it, Ellie." Eric cut in, rolling his eyes at the younger girl. "Chris just wants to be a regular witch. And he hates being called that."

That was more or less true, but the teen found himself shifting uncomfortably as a few of the others turned to him in surprise.

"Really?" Kyle asked with a hint of confusion.

"Wait…" A half-elf called Meredith cut in from the back. "The guy in charge of this whole mission wishes he wasn't one of us? Great. Maybe you should go join the supporters of witch purity then."

Chris shot his friend a mildly annoyed look. They didn't need to get into this now, and clearly the offhand remark threatened to open a dangerous can of worms. The last thing he needed was people questioning his loyalty ten minutes before their plan was to get underway.

"That's ridiculous, Meredith." Chris replied, trying his best to calm the situation. "What Eric meant to say is that I think we should all receive the same treatment as regular witches, from everyone. And I don't see myself as anything special—certainly not an angel. We're all just regular people who want to go about our lives without being tormented by people like Robert, right?"

That seemed to do the trick and he felt the tension fade from the air.

"Okay then," He began, surveying the room. "We need to get moving. Ellie, are you ready to fly over to the east wing and scope it out?"

The girl nodded enthusiastically and, before he knew it, a bright flash of purple light enveloped her body. Moments later, she was barely the size of his hand and her shimmering wings kept her suspended in the air.

"Ready!" She squeaked.

He noticed that Eric was suddenly looking down at the floor.

"Great," Chris replied, offering her a smile. "When you think it's time for me to head that way, just call my name. It doesn't have to be loud. A whisper is fine. I'll hear you."

Even in her tiny form he heard her mutter "so cool" before she fluttered away through he small crack above the door.

"I'll orb to an empty room nearby when I hear her and then activate my invisibility. With luck, I can keep it going long enough to find the meeting and get some information."

He saw Kyle's eyes light up. "You won't need to hope for luck, Chris." He noted before he dashed to his feet and took a few wide strides towards him. Like most halflings, he appeared entirely average and rarely took on a leprechaun's diminished height. "Give me your hand."

Chris complied and, a moment later, he watched as Kyle's hand began to glow with a faint green light.

"There." The other teen said, smiling as he took a step back. "You'll have all the luck you'll need now."

Chris thanked him with a warm smile. They weren't close, but Chris had always liked and trusted the guy. He was grateful for the eager support.

"Lily and Eric, maybe you can make your way towards the library when I go." Chris mused, looking towards his friends. "One or two others could join you. Don't get too close. And if anyone sees you pretend you're on your way to look for a book or something. It would be good to have people close by, just in case."

"You don't think he'd actually do anything dangerous, do you?" a quiet girl to his right asked worriedly. Chris was pretty sure that her name was Eva and that she was part Valkyrie.

He did his best to shrug off his worries.

"He does hate half-breeds and, as far as he's concerned, I'm the worst of the worst." Chris paused. "But as he learned the other day, I can handle him."

The young girl gave him a weak smile.

Chris hated that Robert had already managed to fill so many innocent people with unnecessary worry. No one should have that kind of cruel power over people and he knew putting an end to this entire ordeal would be so extremely satisfying.

"I think—"

Chris was about to add another thought but, before he could, he heard a soft voice echo though his head.

"What?" Lily asked, noticing the odd expression on his face.

"It's Ellie, she's calling." He paused. "Those of you who want can wait here. The rest, cautiously head east. We'll regroup here after and discuss what we find out."

He closed his eyes for a moment, sensing for both Ellie, Robert and a concealed spot nearby. They were close together, and close to an empty utility closet. That would work.

Without another moment of hesitation, Chris orbed out.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Going invisible had been easy enough. Opening the closet without detection had been a bit more nerve-wracking, but it seemed that he had orbed far enough away from Robert and his crew to avoid detection.

He could hear their voices around the corner, and he did his best to focus on keeping up his disguise as he slowly made his way in their direction. Perhaps it was due to Kyle's luck, but his invisibility did not waver once as he moved and, once he managed to get Robert's group within view, he paused and let out a silent breath of relief.

No one turned in his direction. So far, so good.

He hastened with anticipation.

"So it's ready then?" He heard a girl ask Robert before she glanced towards an old stone doorway Chris could not remember seeing before.

It was not unusual for things to appear and disappear in the halls of magic school, so he did not dwell on that fact.

He watched as Robert nodded.

"Yes," he replied, eliciting smiles from the small group that had gathered around. "Anthony and Colin are finishing it up as we speak. After we meet, we should have a solid plan in place. It's a shame we couldn't get it done by the end of the day. But next week, those freaks will pay."

"Is Halliwell going to be the guinea pig?" A tall dark-haired boy asked, smiling. Chris didn't even know the guys name but, clearly, the other teen already hated him on reputation alone.

Robert snorted. "Hopefully." He replied, smiling back. "I can't wait to see that smug look wiped off his face once and for all. This should finally show him where he belongs."

Robert paused and glanced around the hallway. For a moment, Chris worried that his invisibility had gone down but the boy's eyes did not land on him. He was still safe.

"Come on." Robert began again, looking towards the mysterious door. "The others are waiting for us inside. It's safer to talk in there. The shields are up."

Chris briefly wondered what kind of shields he was referring to but there was not much time to stand and contemplate. The group started moving towards the door and Chris quickly and silently followed. Clearly, their discussion was just getting started and he wanted to get as many details as he could.

If Robert had something in store for them next week, he needed to know what it was. He needed to be ready.

He waited at the back of the pack, invisible, and watched as Robert muttered an incantation. The door clicked open, and the students began to file in. Chris caught a glimpse of a much larger group inside and his heart began to pound with nervous excitement.

This was it.

It was working.

He took a step.

He was almost there.

And then suddenly, BOOM.

Before he could make sense of what was going on, Chris was blasted back from the doorway by some sort of invisible force. He vaguely registered a blue glow from the area as the loud sound he had set off continued to ring in his ears.

He landed painfully on the stone floor and, as he frantically pulled himself into a sitting position his heart instantly sank.

There was no doubt that he was visible now. And Robert was standing in the doorway with a wide smirk on his face.

"Well, well, well." He said before nodding towards some of his cronies. "I told you we couldn't trust the half-breeds."

Chris attempted to muster a reply but there was a momentary distraction as Lily, Eric, Kyle and Meredith dashed around the corner, joined soon after by Ellie in human form.

After quickly assessing the situation, Eric dashed forward to his friend's defence—his arms outstretched as he reached for Robert.

"What the hell did you—"

But before Eric could finish his sentence or reach his target there was a second loud boom. Chris could only watch in shock as his friend was tossed back by the same invisible force.

Robert simply continued to smirk, clearly proud of whatever he had concocted.

"Clever little spell, isn't it?" He asked, still protected by the safety of his magical threshold. "It's designed to ward off non-humans. Like you." He sneered, looking at the two boys who had already fallen victim to it.

"You can't just block off parts of the school like that!" Lily protested, taking a forceful step forward. "Despite what you seem to think, this place belongs to all of us."

The boy scoffed. "What? Do you think your ragtag group of fairies, nymphs and mermaids can stop me?" He gave no indication that he was the least bit worried. "Go ahead, tell the headmaster. This place is safe from him too and you've already seen what this shield can do to halflings. I'd love to see how it would ward off a fully-fledged freak." He paused, grinning down at Chris. "Hopefully it'll put daddy dearest in a coma, and then we can finally get a proper witch in charge of this school. A witch who knows the benefits of making this place a safe haven for witches."

Despite himself, Chris let out a low growl as he painfully got back to his feet.

"Leave my father out of this." He hissed, his voice dangerously low.

"Aww, look, the little pacifist is angry." Robert replied, eliciting a chuckle from a few of his supporters. "Gonna blast me with your angelic lightening again, freak?"

Chris knew he shouldn't have taken the bait, but there was no doubt that he had already lost some of his self control. He could feel the energy building and he didn't have the strength to hold it back—with a cry of rage, he sent a stream of bright blue flowing in the boy's direction.

He needed to be stopped. That was the only thought in Chris' mind.

A few of Robert's companions yelped in surprise but the teen did not flinch. And for good reason.

As his power reached the threshold it simply fizzled out. Clearly, the shield was a powerful one.

"See?" Robert said, addressing his friends again. "We can't trust beings like him. Look what he's capable of! He doesn't belong here—none of them do."

There were several utterances of agreement and Chris felt his stomach plummet. Clearly, Robert had managed to rally far more supporters than he had feared. It sickened him to see so many of his peers filled with such hatred and fear.

"Seeing as so many of you have stuck around this evening, I see no reason why we can't move on to stage two." The instigator continued, a flash of excitement on his face. "Anthony? Is it ready?"

Another boy, Anthony, quickly answered. "We have enough." He confirmed rushing forward with an armful of purple potion bottles. Chris had no idea what "it" was, but his heart began to pound. He hated letting fear get the better of him, especially when Robert was involved, but his head was screaming at him to run.

Whatever they had in store could not be good.

"They don't have to be a direct hit. The mist that gets in the air should be enough to reach everyone left in the school."

Chris frantically reached for Eric, helping his friend to his feet.

"We have to—"

But before his could finish his sentence Robert sent his armful of potions hurling into the hallway.

They smashed instantly, releasing a haze into the air around them.

For a brief moment, he caught Robert's eye. He was teeming with glee, clearly amused and excited by the looks of panic on all of their faces.

"Good luck hiding now, Halliwell." He sneered before letting out a harsh laugh.

Frantic, but knowing it was probably too late, Chris waved his hand and sent them all hurling back towards the abandoned classroom.

The world around him dissolved into a flurry of orbs.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The first thing that registered as they rematerialized was the sound of coughing. Not only his own, but that of everyone he had orbed away from the purple mist.

"What was that?" Eric wheezed between coughs as he steadied himself on the nearest table.

"Dunno." Chris replied, looking around at his companions. So far, aside from the coughing, everyone seemed okay. The three who had remained behind in the classroom—Eva and two younger boys—rushed forward, full of concern. They weren't coughing. Yet. But Chris was pretty sure Anthony had said something about that stuff spreading around the whole school.

"Maybe we shouldn't stay here." He said before coughing again. "I can orb us to—"

But instead of finishing his thought, Chris let out a cry of pain. His body suddenly felt as if it was on fire and he doubled over onto the floor.

Even as agony overtook him, he could see that those around him had been similarly overcome. Eric had crumpled to the floor on his right and Chris could see a yellow glow begin to form around his friend.

He wanted to help.

He wanted to do something.

But the burning sensation had rendered him useless. He didn't have the strength to orb himself, let alone a room full of people, and he could not stop himself from closing his eyes as another wave of pain ran through him. All strength and dignity forgotten, he cried out as he writhed on the ground, his body overcome with this mysterious force.

Then, as suddenly as it had come, the pain stopped.

Chris could feel himself shaking and he took a few deep breaths before attempting to open his eyes.

The first thing he noticed was that Eric was gone, and this was enough to send a much needed jolt of energy though him. As quickly as he could, he got to his feet and looked around the small room, frantic for any sign of his friend.

Nothing could have prepared him for the sight that met him.

The classroom that had been filled with a group of seemingly normal students less than a minute earlier now contained a diverse array of magical beings. There was a Valkyrie leaning against the door, an ogre hunched nearby, a leprechaun under a neighbouring desk and a purple fairy buzzing frantically through the room, to name but a few. It was jarring and shocking for a second but, as Chris' mind slowly calmed, he realized what had happened.

Whatever Robert had hurled at them had caused them to involuntarily revert to their other forms. The beings around him were his friends and peers, forced into exposure by the boy's malicious scheme.

He heard a groan to his right and he shakily moved past one of the desks to see Lily lying on the cold floor. Her legs had been replaced by a long, golden tail and she looked up at him with wide eyes.

"What the hell is happening, Chris?" She whispered, her voice cutting through the shocked silence of the room. "I…I'm dry, but I can't change back. I'm stuck like this!"

"I don't know." He answered honestly, his voice scratching his throat.

She reached out to take his hand and as he looked down he realized for the first time that he was now wearing a set of long white robes.

His stomach did a slight flop. He'd never worn whitelighter robes in his life and had never intended to. Now, it seemed, he didn't have a choice.

But, if that was the worst of it, he would take it.

Unfortunately, he soon learned that he would not be getting off that easily.

"I always wondered if you had actual wings." His friend said softly.

Lily was still looking at him but it took him a moment to figure out exactly what she meant. "Wings?" He muttered numbly before his confusion was overcome with a wave of terror.

With a fresh jolt of frantic energy, Chris snapped his head around. He couldn't see much, but there was definitely a lot of white.

White feathers.

And as he brought a shaking hand towards his back he confirmed the awful, dreaded truth.

Christopher Halliwell had sprouted a pair of angelic wings.