CHAPTER 7
I DON'T OWN CHARMED
PAIGE POV:
I pulled my coat tighter around myself, walking faster. I had to get back to the manner. A newfound purpose filled me, pulsing through my body like a jet of hot water.
Rounding a corner, I picked up my pace until I was running again. I always did a lot of that, run. I ran away from the Millers and the memories that came with them, from the bullies at school, when they would push me around for being deaf. I ran from my mother on especially tiring days, or after a bad cello performance. I ran after the old man died. When I filled out the police report and came home, I just ran. I ran for miles and miles.
I never did it competitively, but I was always fast. I was the fastest in my gym class, boys and girls. When the captain of the cross country team challenged me to a race, I won. By a lot. Coaches begged me to join, but I wouldn't. I didn't run to compete. (The only reason I raced the captain was because she called me a fucking gimp. After the race she never bothered me again. She never spoke to me again after Adiva punched her square in the face.)
But now, I was running towards something. I was running towards something scary. I was running towards a heritage I knew nothing about. And I was okay with it. Me, Paige Matthews, was okay with that.
Running towards that house, I was okay with everything. In less than forty-eight hours I found out I had three sisters, I was a bastard, and I was a halfbreed powerful witch thing. And I was okay with it.
I rounded another corner, my pace a sprint now, running faster than I have ever ran before, my feet barley touching the ground. If the average runner is air born 79 percent of the time, I was about 93.
After turning into an ally, everything got cold. I stopped abruptly, wrapping my arms around my thin frame. The ground shook, violent and angry, like a forgotten voice, reaching the world for the first time in centuries. I looked up.
A monstrous, blue thing was standing before me. Its chest huge and hair long, hatred etched into his face, like marble. It slammed me back into a building, making everything go black.
PIPER POV:
We set out after Paige, walking the way she went, hopping to find her. We must have searched the city top to bottom, even told Daryl about her. We sent Leo out to look for her, but with no luck.
Right before we were going to call it quits, to go back and scry for her, everything went cold.
The wind picked up, feeling like it did on that day from hell.
Phoebe looked at me, her face falling. Strax.
The monster that killed our sister was here.
We followed its vile trace, taking us into a back ally. What we found there, I was not prepared for, not in the slightest.
Strax stood over a small, crumpled form. Her skinny body defeated looking in the dark.
I ran over to her, and the hair made my heart sink. That beautiful red hair.
Strax swung, but I was ready. I mumbled under my breath, making an awning fall on his head. He roared out in pain.
Phoebe was tending to Paige, saying something to me, but I couldn't hear her. I was as deaf as Paige. I kept flashing my hands at Strax, each pulse becoming more violent, taking a deeper tole on the beast.
Strax fell back, howling. Funny, thats the only thing I could hear. Phoebe grabbed me, pulling me out of my trance.
"Piper, help me with Paige." She gasped, trying to support the girl who was just barley coming around.
Paige was regaining consignees, making rapid gestures with her hands. We all turned to Strax, joining hands, we looked at him, hate filling all three of us, hate and anger and stolen things.
Prue. We thought, directing it directly towards the monster, watching it burst into flames, reduced to nothing but ash in the cold wind.
PAIGE POV:
I was sitting in the attic of the house, looking down at the enormous tome. The triquetra on the front was glowing a soft blue, giving off enough light to illuminate the entire room. I placed my hand on it, it was humming, vibrating, almost purring. The book was extraordinarily happy. It seemed to intensify at my touch.
The attic had a rustic quality to it. The book stood in the middle in the room. A ring of enchantments in paint on the floor protected it. The book shelf was large, built into the wall. It contained a variety of smaller books, some in Latin. There was a hearth, a cauldron resting in it. Herbs and other substances were kept in jars.
A banner hung on the wall, the same symbol as the book. It hung dark, imposing. It looked like a threat almost, letting all those who entered know that the Halliwells demanded utter respect.
I walked over to it. It stretched from floor to ceiling, black fringe around the edge. An alter was in front of it, in the shape of a pentacle. Two pagan looking statues were placed on it, candles lit to each one. My sisters were Wiccans. It felt a little weird. I never knew a pagan before.
I felt Phoebe before I saw her. She knelt before the alter to the two gods. She invited me to join her, I gave no response.
A few moments later she touched her forehead to the top of the alter, standing up again. She looked at me, "Yes, we are Wiccans."
I nodded. "I am a Catholic."
"We know." Phoebe said. "Wiccanism is the primary religion for magic users. About 85 percent. The remaining 15 percent are of other religions. All powerful magic families practice Wiccanism. It's the reason our society hasn't destroyed the world with wars. Our religion does not permit violence."
She squatted by the alter, I mimicked her this time. "This is the Horned God. He represents the forest and nature." She pointed to the idol of the man with the stag head. "This is the Mother. She represents fertility and life." She pointed to the idol of the the woman.
"I'm not compensating my beliefs." My eyes narrowed.
"We know Paige, we would never ask you too. We are going to teach you all we can about magic, turn you into a great witch. If you come to our faith, you come to our faith. We would never force you too." Phoebe put her hand on my shoulder.
I saw the door open, Piper walking in. "Is Paige thinking about being Wiccaned?" Piper asked.
"No. No, thats not for me." I stated hastily.
"It doesn't mean you have to worship our gods, Paige. Its just an initiation into our society. Its usually performed on infants, sometimes on older children. With this ceremony, the other families will accept you. Since Mom and Sam weren't married you could have issues being seen as an equal. Other witches would listen to you if you were Wiccend." Piper took my hand now, this obviously meant a lot to her.
I was a bastard in this society. I thought about the Song of Ice and Fire books and how Jon was treated. Being a bastard really sucked. "It would legalize me?"
"Yes, completely." Phoebe answered. "It is our laws. Any base born child Wiccend by her mothers coven would be recognized. Their power absolute."
"If I was to go back to Christianity after, how would that be received?" This was my most important question.
"It would cause some gossip in the higher covens, maybe some slander, but they couldn't do anything about it, you were Wickend. There are other people like you. In order to go to the magic school you must be wiccend before. Some of the children are of other religions." Piper assured me.
"Let me think about it." I said. I would not make a decision to fast.
We all sat around the little potion table. "So, Paige, that demon was named Strax. He killed Prue." Phoebe said.
Piper stared at her hands, eyes fogging over.
"Are there more?" I asked.
Piper let out what I suppose was a harsh laugh. "Thousands."
"We were thinking, you're not safe on your own. You may get attacked, and you still need to learn magic. It would be the best for everyone if, you came to live here. Prue would have wanted it." Phoebe proposed, looking at me hopefully.
I was dumbfounded, not knowing what to say. I wanted to say no, to keep my homely flat, but then I thought of that demon, how cold it was. I'm not there to protect them anymore, the Phantom had said. "Yes. I think that would be wise." No going back now.
Phoebe and Piper enveloped me in a hug. The next couple of minutes were a blur. They tired to walk me back to my apartment, but I need to go somewhere, somewhere important.
LINEBREAK
St. Mary's cathedral was a lovely building at night. They had a thousand candles burning, all different types of people at prayer. But this late, it was only the desperate. The alone, the sick and homeless. I'll fit right in. All the lights were off, giving the huge crucifix on the wall an erie look in the candle light.
I knelt before the alter filled with candles. I made the sigh of the cross and light one. I sat in prayer for a very long time. I wasn't asking for anything, I just meditated.
Lord, please help me figure this out, so I may find a way for my abilities to serve you. Protect me from sin and do not let me fall into the hands of the devil as I explore this world that I know nothing about. May I do nothing that displeases you or strays from you. Lord, may you watch over me and my sisters, Phoebe and Piper as they fight evil, and Adiva, with the baby. Please give me the strength to do what I have to do, even though it's scary. God, please stay with me. I know what I must do, and I'm afraid.
I was crying now, not a loud cry, a soft cry, peaceful. I cried over the candles and alter. I cried for a very long time.
But tears don't last forever, and soon I was out.
I stood up, stronger and braver than before, I was not afraid.
I walked out of the church, knowing what I must do.
I'm so sorry this one took so long. I hope it was worth it. So, what do you think of this whole Wiccaning thing? I threw this in here because I wanted to explore the separate cultures, add some more depth to the story. Again, thank you to Eillibsniknej for the fabulous review. Also, Boris Yeltsin, thanks so much. Tell me if you want me to go deeper into the cultural aspects of any of it. I'm all up for suggestions.
- The Professor.
