Four Witches and a Funeral
Xxx
The year 2027,
On a rainy august night, a young man named Matt was walking home his date while holding her umbrella. His date was a pretty young woman with long blonde hair, dressed in a purple dress and black jacket. Her name was Caroline and they had met through mutual friends at party, it was their second official date.
"I had a great time." Caroline said.
"Yeah, me too." Matt replied smiling.
He had had a great time as well. It had been several months that he had been on a date, which was nothing like him. In fact, his entire life had changed a few months ago when he found out he was a witch. The only reason he found out was because his late grandmother had send him a book, a Book of Shadows. The moment he touched it his powers were awakened.
When he confronted his parents they got into a huge fight. They knew their family was magical but they wanted nothing to do with it. It was the reason Matt hadn't seen his grandmother since he was five. He wasn't quite sure how to handle his newfound heritage.
Tonight had been the first time in a long since he had felt normal. He figured he had to tell Caroline eventually if they got serious, but since it was only their second date he pretended to be normal for a little while longer.
"Oh, there is a great shortcut to my house there." Caroline said pointing to an alley. "Normally I'm always too afraid to go through it, but you'll protect me, right?"
"Sure." Matt said. "I'll keep you safe."
They went in the alley and Caroline pressed herself closer to Matt, who put an arm around her. Meanwhile he was looking around the alley for signs of trouble. A few months ago he wouldn't have thought twice about walking through a dark alley, but now that he knew what lurking in the shadows he wasn't so confident.
"It's so dark here. I can't see a thing." Caroline said. "Scary, right?"
"It's not a big deal, you've got me remember?" Matt said.
"I know." Caroline replied with a smile.
When they reached the end of the alley, Matt was relived to be standing in the streetlights again, not that he would let Caroline notice, of course.
"My apartment is right there." Caroline said pointing toward the second building across the street.
The young couple crossed the street and headed up the stairs to the apartment building. When they reached the front door Caroline opened her purse and started searching for her keys. Matt wondered if she was going to invite him in, he really wanted too, but he didn't want to rush her.
"Found them." Caroline said as she held up her keys.
"So this was great." Matt said nervously.
"I know, I had the best time." Caroline said. "Erin was totally right about you."
"Really?" Matt asked. "What did she say?"
"I can't tell you that, that's girl talk." Caroline said. "But it was a positive thing."
"At least that's good to hear." Matt said smiling. Erin was his best friend's girlfriend, who had told him on many occasions that she thought he was cute, while she was drunk. It was through Erin that he had even met Caroline.
"So…" Caroline said while playing with her keys. "I kinda wanted to invite you in for coffee, but the thing is, I need to get up really early tomorrow."
"It's okay, I understand." Matt said, trying to hide his disappointment.
"I'm not trying to blow you off, I promise." Caroline quickly said. "I just got work tomorrow."
"I believe you." Matt said reassuring. "Maybe next time?"
"I'd love to." Caroline replied with a smile. "So do I at least get a kiss goodnight?"
"Well, maybe. I've got an early day tomorrow and I kinda need to get going." Matt said teasingly.
"Not funny!" Caroline said, though she couldn't help but smile.
Before she could continue Matt quickly leaned in and kissed her. Caroline wrapped her arms around him and they stumbled back against the door. After a while of making out, Caroline pushed him back.
"I really need to get to bed now." Caroline said. "But we're defiantly on for a next date. Call me soon!"
After a second quick kiss, Caroline went inside, leaving Matt alone on the street. Matt quickly zipped up his jacket after a gust of cold wind and started walking home. When he passed the alley he hesitated for a while. It was a shortcut back home, but he got a bad feeling from it. Eventually he decided he was acting like a wimp and walked into the alley.
The alley seemed even darker than before and Matt started walking faster. When he was nearly at the end a figure suddenly appeared at the end on the alley. Matt stopped and stared at him. The figure started walking toward him and Matt stumbled back.
"Look, I don't have any money!" Matt quickly said.
"I don't want your money, witch." The figure said with an obviously male voice while pulling out a knife with strange symbols on it.
Matt was starting to freak out, whoever it was knew he was a witch. The whitelighter that had visited him had warned him about demons and warlocks and stuff. He now recognized the knife as well, it was an athame, which probably meant the figure was a warlock.
Matt turned to run away while activating his power. There was a ripple in the air as Matt became invisible. He ran toward the other side of the alley. Just as he thought he was in the clear, the warlock appeared in front of him in a blink.
Matt felt a sharp pain. When he looked down his body became visible again and he saw the athame sticking out of his stomach. When the warlock pulled the athame out, it was colored red with his blood. Matt stumbled back and fell to the ground. The last thing he saw was a ripple in the air and the warlock turning invisible.
xxx
Le Trois Restaurant, the next day.
Nineteen year old Melinda Halliwell made her way out of the kitchen holding a couple of plates. With her long brown hair and hazel eyes she was the mirror image of her mother, Piper. Like the other restaurant staff, she was wearing a simple white blouse and black pants. She walked over to an elderly couple sitting at a table.
"Here you go, two day specials." Melinda said as she put down the plates.
"Thank, you dear." The elderly woman said.
"Enjoy your meal." Melinda said and went over to the bar.
Behind the bar stood a tall and muscular bartender with short black hair and grayish eyes. His name was Ryan Lancaster and he was twenty-one. He smiled when Melinda sat down. Because it was only late in the afternoon, the restaurant owned by Piper was mostly deserted. In the few years the restaurant had been open, it had been a huge success, but it wouldn't get busy until at least seven or eight in the evening.
"Want a drink?" Ryan asked.
"Yeah sure." Melinda said. "Ice tea."
Ryan poured her a glass of ice tea and handed it to her.
"Thanks." Melinda said after she took a sip.
"So are we still on for tomorrow?" Ryan asked.
"Of course. Unless meeting my parents is freaking you out." Melinda said with a smile.
She had Ryan had been dating for nearly a year now. They had met at the restaurant when Melinda started working there after finishing high school. They had kept their dating a secret for a while because Ryan was an employee at her mother's restaurant, but now that they were getting more serious, she felt it was time for the next step.
"Meeting your parents?" Ryan asked. "I've been working for your mother for nearly two years now."
"I know, but this will be different." Melinda said. ""This is the first time you'll officially meet them as my boyfriend."
"Is is that official? Should I wear a suit?" Ryan asked.
"Of course not." Melinda said. "But tomorrow will be important to me. I've never had anything like this and I want it to be perfect!"
"And it will be." Ryan assured her. "Your mother likes me."
"Yeah, because you're a great bartender that is always available." Melinda said. "Wait how she feels about you as her daughter's workaholic boyfriend."
"You really like the word boyfriend, don't you?" Ryan asked.
"I do." Melinda said with a smile.
At that moment the door of the restaurant opened and Piper Halliwell came walking in holding two large bags of groceries. Due to her being in her fifties, Piper's long brown hair had started graying a little and her face had started showing a few tiny wrinkles.
"Here, let me help you with that." Ryan said as he moved away from the bar.
"Thanks, Ryan." Piper said as she handed over the bags. "You can put them in the kitchen."
Ryan took the grocery bags and headed toward the kitchen as Piper sat down next to her daughter.
"What are those for?" Melinda asked.
"Oh, just a little extra for the Powell anniversary tonight. I wanted to make something special since they've been regulars since the restaurant opened." Piper explained.
"So you're in the kitchen tonight? I thought Leslie was working?" Melinda asked.
"She called in sick." Piper said.
Suddenly a trail of orbs started to descend down from the ceiling. Melinda quickly spun around to freeze the elderly couple enjoying their meal before they noticed. The orbs materialized in the shape of her older brother, Chris.
"Chris!" Piper said. "Are you crazy? You can't orb into the restaurant in the middle of the day!"
"Sorry." Chris replied. "I figured the place would be deserted at this hour."
"And what if Ryan had seen you?" Melinda called out. "Or another employee?" She added after a pause.
"You'll have to tell him sooner or later." Chris replied.
"I'll tell him when I'm ready to tell him, not because my annoying brother just magically appears out of nowhere." Melinda snapped.
When the kitchen doors opened, Melinda quickly unfroze the elderly couple, who continued their meal as if nothing had ever happened. Ryan came walking back in the restaurant.
"Oh, hey Chris. When did you get here?" Ryan asked.
"I just popped in." Chris said.
"Ryan, there a few things in those bags that need to go in the fridge right away." Piper said. "Did you do that?"
"Uh, no. I'll go do that." Ryan said and went back into the kitchen.
"So what are you doing here, Chris?" Piper asked.
"We just got word from the Elders that a witch was murdered last night." Chris said softly, so the elderly couple couldn't hear him. "He was stabbed with an athame, so they think it's the work of a warlock."
"We haven't seen those around in a while." Piper noted.
"So why did you come here to tell us?" Melinda asked.
Unlike the rest of her family, Melinda had little to no interest in being a witch, something she had probably inherited from her mother. She just wanted to live a normal life. It was also the reason that she was reluctant to tell Ryan. What if he was scared away by the part she hated about herself?
"I just figured I'd give you a heads up." Chris said. "The Elders think he'll go after a stronger witch next, so we're all possible targets."
"Thanks for telling us." Piper said. "But in the future, no more orbing in the restaurant, ever."
"Got it. I have to go." Chris said.
"Be careful." Piper said.
"Always, mom. You know me!" Chris said.
"Right." Piper remarked.
Chris left the restaurant through the front door but orbed away as soon as he was outside. Melinda wondered if she would ever be able to live a normal life with a family like this.
xxx
At a deserted and rundown apartment, a shadow moved as the air rippled and a warlock appeared out of nowhere. The warlock dropped his cloak to reveal he was a young broad build man with short brown hair, dark eyes and a stubble beard. The warlock pulled an athame out of his pocket and placed in on the table. He then turned to the wall, which was filled with a collage of pictures.
Several of the pictures had been crossed with a red marker, including a picture of Matt, the young witch the warlock had killed the night before and stolen the power of invisibility from. At the centre of the wall were the pictures of the entire Halliwell family, along with an ad of Piper's restaurant. One of the pictures was circled with the same red marker. Melinda's picture.
xxx
The next morning, Chris appeared in the alley the young witch Matt was killed in a swirl of orbs. When he looked around he noticed the police that sealed of the entire alley, probably to find trace evidence or something they would never find. The alley was deserted now, people had placed flowers and candles at the entrance next to the picture of Matt.
"Who are you?" a woman's voice sounded behind Chris.
Chris quickly turned around to see a woman standing behind him. She was a tiny woman in her late twenties or early thirties and wore square black glasses. Her blonde hair was tied in a tail.
"Who are you?" Chris replied.
"The police sealed off this alley, you shouldn't be here." The woman said. "I am going to have to ask you to leave and make sure you forget you ever saw me."
She held out her hand and blew off a blue glittering powder. Chris recognized it as memory dust. He coughed as the dust got in his face and waved it away.
"So you're a whitelighter." Chris said. "Then you should know that memory dust doesn't work on other whitelighters."
"You're a whitelighter?" the woman asked. "What are you doing here? This was my charge."
"I'm more than just a whitelighter." Chris said. "I'm a witch as well, and I am going to find the warlock that did this."
"You're one of the Halliwells." The woman noted.
"I'm Chris." Chris said. "And you are?"
"My name is Gretchen." The woman replied.
"So what can you tell me about your charge?" Chris asked.
"Matt was new to the craft." Gretchen told him. ""His parents had kept him from his heritage. His powers weren't activated until a couple of months ago, when his grandmother left him their family's book of Shadows."
"What was his power?" Chris asked.
"Matt had the power of invisibility." Gretchen replied.
"Great, so now we have to deal with an invisible warlock killing witches for their powers." Chris remarked. "That will make things more difficult."
"I wish I could have done more." Gretchen said sadly. "He was so young and a promising witch. I failed him."
"Even if you had been here there was nothing you could have done." Chris said. "The warlock had probably been following him for a while, he knew exactly when to strike."
"I think you should inform the Elders and let all whitelighters keep a closer eye on their charges." Chris said. "Until we get a change to vanquish the warlock."
"I agree, I'll go inform them right away." Gretchen said and orbed away.
Chris quickly looked around the alley if there was anything that could help him locate the warlock, but found nothing. Finding this warlock was not going to be easy. After checking everything twice, Chris finally gave up and orbed home.
Xxx
At the end of the day, near the beginning of the evening, a middle-aged witch named Diane was closing up her little occult shop while talking on her phone. Diane was a tradition witch in every sense of the word. Her curly brown hair was always unkempt, she wore colorful hippie like dresses and her neck and arms were always filled with cheap jewelry.
"Yes, I know, I heard." Diane said on the phone. "Yes, I am closing up shop now. Don't worry, I'll be careful."
She walked over to the counter and flew out the many colorful burning candles.
"I already told you not to worry." Diane said. "I am an old witch that can take care of herself. You take care of your younger charges. No warlock is going to catch me off guard."
She hung up the phone and shook her. Her whitelighter was very protective and worrisome up until the point it would get annoying. As if she couldn't handle a little warlock. Diane closed off the register and turned off the light.
Suddenly one of the wind chimes hanging in the store charmed chiming. Diane turned and looked around. There was nothing there, but all the windows were shut. There was no way that the wind could have done that. There was something in the store.
"Who is there?" Diane asked loudly. "Show yourself right now or I will put a curse on you. You are messing with the wrong witch."
Suddenly a crystal ball on a display table fell to the floor and shattered behind her. Diane quickly spun around and for a second thought she saw the air move. There was something invisible there.
"Last warning, evil beings have no place here." Diane said though her voice trembled. "Leave before I cast you out."
She felt a movement next to her and quickly jumped aside. When she fell to the ground her body changed. Her body shrunk and her clothes made way for black fur. Her eyes changed shape and became yellow. A second later Diane had vanished and a black cat had taken her place. That was her power, the ability to change into whatever shape she desired.
The cat spun across the room with great agility and made her way to the open back door, which slammed shut before she could reach it. A sudden, invisible kick slammed the cat into the counter. The cat changed back into Diane, who cried in pain. There was a ripple in the air as the warlock became visible again and stepped toward Diane.
"No, don't!" Diane said as she tried to crawl away.
"I'm sorry." The warlock said. "You were not on my list, but your power will help me greatly."
"Who are you?" Diane asked.
"My name is Anders." The warlock said. "And I will make sure all witches burn for killing my family. Then your whitelighters and finally the Elders."
"You're mad." Diane said.
"Not really, just evil." Anders said.
The warlock Anders raised his athame above his head and struck. Diane's screams were quickly silenced as her life slipped away.
Xxx
