Disclaimer: First and foremost. I do not own Charmed, or anything remotely
to do with the Mary Celeste. I am merely going off my information of this
mystery vessel. So enjoy reading this tale!
~By the way, I feel obligated to tell you this is an "alternate reality" fanfic. I am taking Charmed and putting it into a story about the Mary Celeste, as you can tell. Constructive criticism is welcome; flames are ok, but mostly unwelcome. Please review. ^_^~ -Storymind
Chapter One
~Drifting Alone~
It was cloudy, misty, cold, and gray in the world of Prudence Halliwell. She walked up on board, still wearing the same informal gray- satin dress as before. Only three months had passed since she had gotten aboard the Oceano Rosa. Her father, Victor Halliwell, had rented it for the 'family reunion', or so one could call it. They hadn't had many relatives, and there were only a few that they knew of that could show up.
"Prue, what did I tell you?" Victor asked angrily.
Prue spun around. Her father was leaning against the railing on the opposite side with an exasperated expression on his face.
"Oh, sorry." She mumbled apologetically.
"Well, go below and get changed. It's almost time for dinner if I know your mother." He said, and she rushed to leave his presence.
There had been something unusual she couldn't pinpoint about Victor Halliwell. He wasn't his usual stern, fatherly figure, but… something else. Someone else. When she had left her father's house the previous year after July 4th, he had been the same man. When he had come to her grandmother's house to ask if they wanted to join him on a boat trip, he seemed different. Prue hadn't questioned it, seeing as she had just recently forgiven him for leaving her all of her childhood years.
Coming off the stairway, she found her younger sisters, Piper and Phoebe, playing Monopoly with the girl Prue hadn't come to describe in her mind. Prue had met Paige Mathews for the first time on this boat, not having seen her mother since… Well, for a long time. She hadn't actually thought about what she would do if her mother had another child, especially a half-sibling, as she had. Paige Mathews was only her half-sister, and was more or less the bane of her existence. Paige was everything that described why Prue's life went awry. Paige showed everyone that didn't know it that Patricia Halliwell had gone off with another man. Her mother had left, tearing her world apart, and her father had left, leaving Prue somewhat soulless.
"Hey, Prue, want to play?" Phoebe noticed her.
"No thanks, Phoebs. Maybe later?"
"Yeah. Ok." Phoebe said, half-listening.
"Prue, are you ok?" Piper asked.
Piper was the closest Prue could ever come to having a twin. She understood her thoughts, emotions, and could tell anyone anything. Prue used to joke she'd have to pay Piper off not to get blackmailed later on. Piper was next to being serious and commanding after Prue, something she took pride in. However, Prue was hotheaded at times, and though she'd never admit it, arrogant.
"Yeah, Piper, why?" Prue lied.
"Nothing, just you look like something's wrong." Piper said, eyeing her.
"No, everything's fine." Prue sighed.
Prue went in to her room to change. Her life had changed just as easily… One minute, her family was together, she had her star sisters with her, and her father and mother; even her grandmother was actually normal. The next, everything crashed and exploded in an array of different life styles just waiting to be chosen by a mere action. And she had chosen this one.
She closed the door with her newly acquired power, where it slammed somewhat. No doubt in her room, she distinctly heard Grams say something about her. Getting a hint of interest, she inched closer to the wall silently.
"I just don't know what I'm going to do with her." Her mother was there?
"Patty, it's not all going to be bad. She's rebellious at having to have another sister." Grams' voice floated through the wall from her own room.
"It's not just that, Mom. Prue resents Paige because Paige is, in her eyes, the reason her family fell apart." Her mother said.
"Well you know perfectly well whom I blame it on." Grams said irritably, "If it weren't for-."
"Dad. If it weren't for Dad." Prue mumbled to herself. "Don't start. He was nice enough to invite us here."
"That doesn't change my opinion about him one bit. However, I have to ask you one thing."
"What?"
"Why did you release their powers? Why give them to the girls now?" Grams' voice was dripping with suspicion.
"I actually took heed on something you told me. I don't want them to hate me forever-."
"Oh, Patty, don't be so naïve. Piper and Phoebe certainly don't hate you, and neither does Prue, however much she tries to."
Her mother sighed, "Someday, she would have."
"What do you mean? Paige would have taken her place as a Charmed One?"
Her mother didn't respond.
"That's absurd, Patty, and completely irrelevant. Prue is the full sister, not half."
Behind Prue, her door swung open.
Thinking it was Piper, she said, "Hey, c'mere."
"I think we need to talk." Was the always-singing voice that Prue had come to recognize and despise?
"What are you doing here?" She spat, turning around.
"You're seventeen. At least save some dignity." Paige said calmly, leaning against the door, which was shut.
"I know perfectly well how old I am, Mathews." Prue said.
"My name is Paige, first and foremost. Secondly, why do you hate me? What did I do to deserve your loathing? According to Piper, you don't hate so many people." And there was her arrogant, self-righteous tone. Prue would have loved nothing more than to slap all her shamelessness out of pretty little face.
"It's none of your business." Prue snapped.
"It is. Especially if you want me to keep quiet about your eavesdropping on my mother and grandmother." Paige said, still calm but emphasizing the word 'my' as if Prue had no right and place among them all.
"Listen to me, and listen well. I do not have to explain myself, or my actions to you. I'm barely related to you. Now, do yourself the service of getting out of my room." Prue said, seething with indignation.
Paige half-shrugged before leaving through the heavy door, not looking back. Prue flung herself onto her bed, tears silently dripping down her face uncontrollably.
How dare she command her? How dare she just come in here and ask Prue to explain herself as if she was an authority figure capable to demanding answers and certain actions followed. She had no right. No right to come in and say the things she said, act the way she did. She barely had the right to exist. Let alone be who she was around Prue.
Prue didn't come out the rest of the night, but could hear, in spite of herself and her newfound powers, Paige laughing with her family, as if masking the spot and filling the shoes of being the eldest sister and firstborn. She came to the conclusion she would never forgive Paige.
~By the way, I feel obligated to tell you this is an "alternate reality" fanfic. I am taking Charmed and putting it into a story about the Mary Celeste, as you can tell. Constructive criticism is welcome; flames are ok, but mostly unwelcome. Please review. ^_^~ -Storymind
Chapter One
~Drifting Alone~
It was cloudy, misty, cold, and gray in the world of Prudence Halliwell. She walked up on board, still wearing the same informal gray- satin dress as before. Only three months had passed since she had gotten aboard the Oceano Rosa. Her father, Victor Halliwell, had rented it for the 'family reunion', or so one could call it. They hadn't had many relatives, and there were only a few that they knew of that could show up.
"Prue, what did I tell you?" Victor asked angrily.
Prue spun around. Her father was leaning against the railing on the opposite side with an exasperated expression on his face.
"Oh, sorry." She mumbled apologetically.
"Well, go below and get changed. It's almost time for dinner if I know your mother." He said, and she rushed to leave his presence.
There had been something unusual she couldn't pinpoint about Victor Halliwell. He wasn't his usual stern, fatherly figure, but… something else. Someone else. When she had left her father's house the previous year after July 4th, he had been the same man. When he had come to her grandmother's house to ask if they wanted to join him on a boat trip, he seemed different. Prue hadn't questioned it, seeing as she had just recently forgiven him for leaving her all of her childhood years.
Coming off the stairway, she found her younger sisters, Piper and Phoebe, playing Monopoly with the girl Prue hadn't come to describe in her mind. Prue had met Paige Mathews for the first time on this boat, not having seen her mother since… Well, for a long time. She hadn't actually thought about what she would do if her mother had another child, especially a half-sibling, as she had. Paige Mathews was only her half-sister, and was more or less the bane of her existence. Paige was everything that described why Prue's life went awry. Paige showed everyone that didn't know it that Patricia Halliwell had gone off with another man. Her mother had left, tearing her world apart, and her father had left, leaving Prue somewhat soulless.
"Hey, Prue, want to play?" Phoebe noticed her.
"No thanks, Phoebs. Maybe later?"
"Yeah. Ok." Phoebe said, half-listening.
"Prue, are you ok?" Piper asked.
Piper was the closest Prue could ever come to having a twin. She understood her thoughts, emotions, and could tell anyone anything. Prue used to joke she'd have to pay Piper off not to get blackmailed later on. Piper was next to being serious and commanding after Prue, something she took pride in. However, Prue was hotheaded at times, and though she'd never admit it, arrogant.
"Yeah, Piper, why?" Prue lied.
"Nothing, just you look like something's wrong." Piper said, eyeing her.
"No, everything's fine." Prue sighed.
Prue went in to her room to change. Her life had changed just as easily… One minute, her family was together, she had her star sisters with her, and her father and mother; even her grandmother was actually normal. The next, everything crashed and exploded in an array of different life styles just waiting to be chosen by a mere action. And she had chosen this one.
She closed the door with her newly acquired power, where it slammed somewhat. No doubt in her room, she distinctly heard Grams say something about her. Getting a hint of interest, she inched closer to the wall silently.
"I just don't know what I'm going to do with her." Her mother was there?
"Patty, it's not all going to be bad. She's rebellious at having to have another sister." Grams' voice floated through the wall from her own room.
"It's not just that, Mom. Prue resents Paige because Paige is, in her eyes, the reason her family fell apart." Her mother said.
"Well you know perfectly well whom I blame it on." Grams said irritably, "If it weren't for-."
"Dad. If it weren't for Dad." Prue mumbled to herself. "Don't start. He was nice enough to invite us here."
"That doesn't change my opinion about him one bit. However, I have to ask you one thing."
"What?"
"Why did you release their powers? Why give them to the girls now?" Grams' voice was dripping with suspicion.
"I actually took heed on something you told me. I don't want them to hate me forever-."
"Oh, Patty, don't be so naïve. Piper and Phoebe certainly don't hate you, and neither does Prue, however much she tries to."
Her mother sighed, "Someday, she would have."
"What do you mean? Paige would have taken her place as a Charmed One?"
Her mother didn't respond.
"That's absurd, Patty, and completely irrelevant. Prue is the full sister, not half."
Behind Prue, her door swung open.
Thinking it was Piper, she said, "Hey, c'mere."
"I think we need to talk." Was the always-singing voice that Prue had come to recognize and despise?
"What are you doing here?" She spat, turning around.
"You're seventeen. At least save some dignity." Paige said calmly, leaning against the door, which was shut.
"I know perfectly well how old I am, Mathews." Prue said.
"My name is Paige, first and foremost. Secondly, why do you hate me? What did I do to deserve your loathing? According to Piper, you don't hate so many people." And there was her arrogant, self-righteous tone. Prue would have loved nothing more than to slap all her shamelessness out of pretty little face.
"It's none of your business." Prue snapped.
"It is. Especially if you want me to keep quiet about your eavesdropping on my mother and grandmother." Paige said, still calm but emphasizing the word 'my' as if Prue had no right and place among them all.
"Listen to me, and listen well. I do not have to explain myself, or my actions to you. I'm barely related to you. Now, do yourself the service of getting out of my room." Prue said, seething with indignation.
Paige half-shrugged before leaving through the heavy door, not looking back. Prue flung herself onto her bed, tears silently dripping down her face uncontrollably.
How dare she command her? How dare she just come in here and ask Prue to explain herself as if she was an authority figure capable to demanding answers and certain actions followed. She had no right. No right to come in and say the things she said, act the way she did. She barely had the right to exist. Let alone be who she was around Prue.
Prue didn't come out the rest of the night, but could hear, in spite of herself and her newfound powers, Paige laughing with her family, as if masking the spot and filling the shoes of being the eldest sister and firstborn. She came to the conclusion she would never forgive Paige.