Chapter 1
Penny was sitting on the couch in between Raj and Sheldon when her phone started to ring. She pulled it out of her pocket and checked the caller ID. "Billie?" she questioned. Penny stood up. "Excuse me guys. I'm gonna take this out into the hall." She walked over and opened the door, stepping out into the hall, quietly shutting the door behind her. She opened her phone. "Hello? Billie?"
Billie let out a relieved breath. "Oh Penny. Thank God you answered."
Penny felt a bit confused. "Why wouldn't I? You're my sister. I know we don't talk much, but if there's something wrong, you can tell me. Or if you just need somebody to talk to."
"Remember at Christie's funeral, how we talked and caught up on stuff?"
"Yeah," Penny answered slowly. "Is that what this is about? I don't care that you're a witch. That sounds like it would be kick ass actually."
"It is," said Billie absently. "Well, it has it's pros and cons. But everything does." She made a noise of annoyance. "But that's not why I called. Has anybody moved into your complex recently—like in the past week?"
"I don't think so." Penny went through a mental list of all the reasons Sheldon freaked out in the past week. "Nope." None of them had to do with a new neighbor moving in anywhere in the building. "Why do you ask?" she asked as an afterthought.
"Remember me telling you about the people I live with?"
Penny nodded. "Yeah," she answered into the phone. "The magic witches or whatever."
"The Charmed Ones, the Power of Three."
"Yeah, them."
"They each have an individual power and one of them just had a vision." She went on to tell Penny what Phoebe told her.
By the time Billie had finished the story, Penny was back in her apartment, sitting on the couch, face pale as could be.
"Do you know who I'm talking about?"
"She described him as a preying mantis?" Penny asked slowly. She felt sick to her stomach. Why would anybody want to kill Sheldon? Yes, he was annoying and very blunt all the time, and, albeit, she had moments where she wanted to kill him herself, that didn't mean she would. Besides, for what reason would a demon—or perhaps two of them—want to kill him?
"Yeah," Billie replied back in a quiet manner.
"Oh God, I think I'm gonna be sick."
"The good thing about premonitions though, is that they can be stopped. If you know how to stop them, they won't come true. Their outcome can be changed."
"Oh, wonderful," muttered Penny sarcastically. "Do you know why they might want him dead?" she asked.
"I don't know. In premonitions, motives aren't usually seen."
"Thanks for the heads up sis. What did you say he was eating?"
"He wasn't. He was complaining about his order. It was Chinese food."
"Oh good. That means I have to be prepared for a Friday. I have some time."
"I'm sorry. What?"
Penny laughed. "Sheldon—the preying mantis—is very particular about things and everything—including his meals—has a set schedule. Friday night is Chinese Food Night, as well as Vintage Video Game Night. I made French toast for him and his roommate on a Monday morning once and he threw it out."
Billie snorted into the phone. "Why was that?" she asked, laughing.
Penny smiled. "Because Monday morning is always Oatmeal Day. That was before I knew his schedule. Now I call him Doctor Whack-a-Doodle."
"He sounds slightly insane."
"Oh no. He's not insane. His mother had him tested."
Billie laughed loudly. "He sounds like a riot."
"He's something alright. He also doesn't believe in witchcraft or astrology or magic or anything that can't be explained by science. So this is gonna be difficult to tell him about." She paused as a thought hit her. "Can I tell him? Or is that against some magical protocol or something?"
"Keep an eye on him. If something out of the ordinary happens, like he displays some type of magic power, or you save him from the fire-breathing demon, then tell him. We don't need him freaking out or sending us to the authorities. We've already had a lot of close calls as it is."
Penny gave a sharp nod. "Right. Thanks for letting me know. And I'll keep you updated on what's going on." Penny closed her phone, ending the conversation. "Why would demons want to kill Sheldon?" she asked herself.
Penny didn't know what to do. Did she drop the bomb on Sheldon or did she just keep an eye on him? What if he got in the way and that's why he was killed? But Billie said the demons dropped through the ceiling, set the room on fire and killed Sheldon. Unprovoked. "But why?" she whispered to herself as she stood up. She re-pocketed her phone and walked back across the hall. She absent-mindedly opened up the door and sat in Sheldon's spot.
Sheldon, who had been over at the fridge getting something to drink, walked back over to the couch and cleared his throat.
Penny looked up at him. "Oh right. Sorry." She moved over without a word.
Leonard and Howard both looked at her, stunned. It was a thing between her and Sheldon that whenever she would sit in his spot she would make a comment that would upset him for the next hour or so.
"Penny, are you okay?" asked Sheldon. Even he had noticed her lack of fight.
"What? Oh no, I'm fine."
"No you're not. You didn't even make a biting comment on me be crazy or a whack-a-doodle or insane."
"It's nothing, really. I just got a call from my twin sister that was just a bit disconcerting is all. Really, it's nothing."
"It's not nothing Penny. Whatever is bothering you is clearly upsetting you."
Raj, Howard, and Leonard were carefully watching this interaction between Sheldon and Penny.
"What's happening?" asked Leonard in an undertone.
"It is nothing, Sheldon. Just leave it alone." Penny couldn't even look at Sheldon. She felt guilty. What if she was the reason he got killed. She knew it was nonsense for her to be feeling guilty over this. It wasn't even her fault.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"No, Sheldon! I do not want to talk about it. God!"
Sheldon let out a sigh of relief. "Oh thank God. Because I really didn't want to talk about it."
"There's the Sheldon I know," said Leonard, no longer confused. He looked at Penny. "I didn't know you had a twin sister, Penny."
"Yeah, her name's Billie. She used to live in Omaha with my parents and I but she was sent to live with our aunt and uncle and our cousin Christie when we were ten. I don't really want to talk about it." Because then we'd be encroaching on personal details.
Penny ate in silence while the boys did what they normally did on Mondays. She set her container down on the coffee table and leaned back on the couch. She stole silent glances at Sheldon every now and then. Finally with an outburst of, "Ugh! I can't do this anymore! I'm gonna go for a walk!" she got up and left the room, letting the door slam shut behind her.
The boys stared at the door in shock.
"What just happened?" asked Leonard.
The others shrugged.
Penny stalked over to her apartment for a sweater and grabbed a twenty from her purse. Then she walked down the four flights of stairs and out the door leading outside. "Damn," Penny muttered to herself. "It's such a good thing I don't smoke. I'd be lighting one right now."
She walked around the block in silence, contemplating about what to do. She had to tell him. She just had to. She couldn't not tell him.
"Oh my God," she groaned. "If I don't do something about this, I'm not gonna be able to sleep tonight." With an irritated groan she turned back around and made her way back to Sheldon and Leonard's apartment, but not without stopping at her own first. She took a bottle of vodka from her fridge and took a couple swallows of it.
She then walked out her door and over to the guys' apartment. She raised her hand to knock on the door. And then lowered her hand. She couldn't do it. What would she say? How would she tell him? She couldn't tell him. She turned and started back toward her room. And then turned to look back at the door; the ominous door. She groaned and walked back to the door. "Screw it," she muttered. She knocked four times and then opened the door. She popped her head in. "Sheldon, can I talk to you?"
"Okay. I don't see why not." He didn't move.
"I mean in my apartment." He still didn't move. "Alone," she tried again. "Just the two of us," she explained when he still hadn't moved.
Sheldon gave her a strange look. "I don't see why, but if you insist." He stood up and walked with Penny to her apartment.
She unlocked her door and Sheldon followed her into her apartment. "Do you want something to drink, Sheldon?"
He gave her another strange look. "Is that why you brought me here? To ask if I wanted something to drink?"
"No, Sheldon. I'm trying to be nice. I have a splitting headache and I need to go to sleep but there's something I have to tell you first because if I don't I won't be able to sleep."
She would have kept going and told Sheldon what was going on but a loud noise sounded outside her room.
"What the hell is that?" exclaimed Penny.
She opened the door to see what was outside her room. Sheldon went with her to the door. Their jaws dropped at the sight that met them. Leonard was standing in his doorway, Raj and Howard at his side.
"Oh. My. God," said Howard.
That just about summed up how they were all feeling at that moment.
Cliffhanger anybody? The next update won't be as fast. This is as far as the original un-edited version got. So now I'm done editing and now I'm writing. Hopefully, it turns out good. R&R and I promise to do the same.
