1998

Nine years later was a different kind of world for wizards around the world. Even though the Charmed still looked down at the mainstream of wizard world, with their old fashioned robes and their ostrich attitude toward Muggle technology, and even though the mainstream wizards were still treating the Charmed with condescending attitude, both types of magical communities were ecstatic for one of the most dreadful and powerful wizards of the century was dead.

The Charmed happiness ended there. After their Chosen Ones were born, their parents took them to England. England! Everyone knew that the Brandts still had some kind of a pull towards the old country, but taking their children there, especially when Voldemort was on the loose, was a little too much for the community. When Voldemort went AWOL, the Charmed were happy: their Chosen Ones were not in mortal danger any more. But their difficulties did not end there. Rodney Brandt decided to step down as the King, and moved with his son to Virginia, without his wife and daughter. Lilia Brandt and her daughter disappeared, until rumors began surfacing that she and her daughter were in Russia, where Lilia's parents lived in distinguished circles.

Linda and Jeff Brandt re-assumed their positions as Queen and King of the Charmed, the same Linda and Jeff that were excited when their son assumed the position after them in the first place. Tonya, the troubled Brandt sister, who hated to use her powers, married after finishing Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and took the Potions position at BIMA. She and her husband had a daughter, Candice, who was very talented like her mother and flew like her father. Lilia's sister, Natasha who had married before Lilia and had a son, Will, still lived in New Mexico, with her Charmed husband, Jonathan.

What's more, the Charmed council did nothing. Everyone was in shock when the Council did not take any action towards Rodney and Lilia and the twins. They did not question the Brandts, or their reasons for leaving the community.

"They will return to us when they see it is necessary for the Twins to know their heritage, and the younger generation will assume their positions in our society," one of the Council representatives spoke out when countless owls questioned the Council's power, "Until then, we charge all of the Charmed to not seek them out. They will return when it is necessary."

Something else was very fishy. There were no more deaths. Seriously. There were plenty of Charmed who were over eighty. Which is really unusual, because when the witch or a wizard is on the decline, their powers somehow begin consuming energy, and the said witch or wizard's heart stops beating. The Council and the Brandts declined any comments and said little regarding anything within American borders. Something was being guarded and there was a lot of talk that the ruling class itself did not know what was going on.

"Mom!" yelled Maria Voloshina, "I'm home!"

Delicate redhead walked into the living room in house slippers. She was still flushed from the cold outside. She was wearing a light leather jacket and cap, and on her legs were foreign jeans. She was of delicate but athletic build. She was skinny and she looked like she will fly away with a gust of wind.

She took her jacket and hat off and then the sweater, under which was a maroon leotard. She flopped onto the chair next to her mother.

"Practice was brutal!" she said to her mother, "And then Oksana Veniominavna gave us another huuuuuge project! I don't know how she thinks we are suppose to finish it all by tomorrow!"

"In English, Masha," said her mother, in the foreign language that she had taught her daughter since infancy, "I might be able to get you out of that assignment," said Lilia Voloshina, smiling at her daughter, "We have to have our physicals done tomorrow."

"Really?" said Masha in English without so much as an accent, "What for?"

"Our visas are ready, and we should be in United States with Rodney and James by the end of the month!" said Lilia excitedly. Maria did not share her mother's view" her face had fallen at the statement.

"So fast? Shouldn't the application process be much longer than a few months?" asked her daughter.

"Don't you want to live in United States?" asked Lilia.

"Yeah, but I still haven't wrapped my mind around it yet, with your engagement and all, I just thought it was going to take a little more time, " finished Masha, "Mom? I had a weird dream last night. Freaky weird!"

"Really?" asked Lilia, slightly interested, "What about?"

"I saw lots of people around me, and this one really weird woman in orange-red dress, it's silly, but she had this long stick like a wand, weird huh?"

"Yeah…" said Lilia with worry on her face that was masked by gross amusement.

"Well, I guess I am going to call Dasha, tell her the big news," said Maria resigned, "Are you going to call my teacher?"

"We are going to stop by the school tomorrow and I will arrange everything, you will probably want to say bye to everyone and pick up your things. Don't do your homework, just go to sleep tonight," said her mother.

Maria went to the other part of the house where they had their bedrooms; her grandparents were in the kitchen drinking tea with cookies. She told them that she would change clothes and come and join them. For the rest of the night Maria was pre-occupied with her thought, even as she told her grandparents about her day, commenting on her dance rehearsal and the soccer game in the gym class, as she told them about the new dog that Dasha, her best friend got, and even when she was asked about the guy that was crushing on her, and how would he react when he found out that she would be moving away, she was thinking about her dream and James, her soon to be step-brother. After she helped grandma with dishes and she had called Dasha, Maria went to bed. Around midnight, when she could not fall asleep she went to the living room and began dialing James's phone number.

"Weird dream, you say?" he asked, "Does it involve a women in orange-red robes?"

"We got to be going crazy, right?" she asked him, "There is no way that we should be seeing the same dreams! We are not related!"

"I know," he said pensively, "You know, Maria, I have a weird feeling that I do know you. You know, not just know you, but really know you. There is no way that I should know how you feel when it comes to different subjects; I am more attuned to you than to my own father!"

"I know. Me too," she looked at the clock and sighed, " Aren't you going to be late for school?" she asked James.

"No, we have a day off today. You need to be going to sleep, don't you have some kind of physical exam to go through tomorrow?" he asked with concern.

"Yeah, I just wanted to call you. All right, talk to you tomorrow. Bye!"

"Bye!"