Chapter Ten
"What do you mean save my life?" Penny stood up, feeling that on her fee she was more prepared if Selena was in fact here to cause trouble. "Who are you?"
"I am someone who can help you, just like I said," Selena enforced, in a very matter-of-fact tone. She stiffened her back, attempting to remain as poised as she could. She ran her hands down her sleeves, she getting accustomed to the feel of human clothes. Penny's eyes watched her every move, and the sight of dirt on Selena's hands didn't go unnoticed. Selena quickly settled her hands in her lap, balling them together to keep them as hidden as possible.
"A name. I meant what is your name?" Penny asked sternly, feeling her patience slipping more and more by the second but after catching glimpse of Selena's dirty hands, she was eager to speed things up.
"My name is Selena," she smiled, feeling her face tighten. She didn't smile often, and when she did it was usually caused by a glimpse into some poor soul's future where she saw them meeting their untimely and often horrifying death at the hands of a demon.
"Selena. Selena who?" Penny probed.
"Just Selena. You don't need to know anything else."
"I'd like to know why your hands are so dirty while your clothes are immaculate." Penny let her right arm slip into her pocket and tightly gripped the small potion bottle, leaving her left arm free to use her power if needed.
"I am a Seer," she said slowly and to Penny's surprise. "I've seen your future, and mine, and neither of them is too bright. That's why I am here, I feel that I can help you. And you me."
Penny backed away a few steps. "A demonic Seer?" she asked in a low, slightly trembling voice. And it's not even nine a.m. this has to be a new record. "I knew it! No human would have hands that dirty at this time of the morning while dressed like you are." She thought about asking Selena where exactly she acquired her human clothing, but considering that she was almost at maximum patience with her guest already, she pushed that thought to the back of her mind. No use in prolonging the conversation.
"Yes but you don't need to fear me. And you certainly don't need those I come with a good purpose, if a little selfish," she smirked focusing her stare on Penny's pocket. "Now, sit down. I can prove to you that I am of noble intentions."
Penny mulled over Selena's request. Could she be double crossing me? Can I trust her? What is Selena hoping to get out of this? Eventually, she took a reluctant seat next to Selena realising that while powerful in their own rights, seers weren't usually know for the fighting abilities.
"Go on. Prove to me that you pose no threat to me or my family." Penny remained cautious. She knew that she couldn't trust Selena, but she decided that there was no use jumping head first into yet another battle. Listening to Selena was for now the best option. She was fully aware that there was a great chance that Selena was spinning nothing more than a long yarn of lies and deceit, but there was also a chance that she was being honest with her. Admittedly a very slim chance, but Penny was beginning to grow tired of the constant cat and mouse games that the underworld seemed to be playing with her lately. Perhaps listening to Selena would provide her with the means to put an end to this latest and somewhat erratic battle.
"Very well." Selena took Penny's hands and cupped her own around them. "Close your eyes and all will become clear."
"Wait a moment," Penny napped. "Patty! Could you come here please!" she called. If she was going to sit eyes closed with a demon, she wanted a bit of reassurance. And after last night's events, she did not want to cut it that close again.
"What is it?" Patty asked, walking in from the kitchen, where she had obviously been eavesdropping after she and Victor had made themselves scarce, leaving the two women in private.
"One false move from her and you use your power on her, do you understand?" Penny asked, knowing that Patty had likely been listening in on them, so there was no use in going over everything again.
Patty nodded, and shot a stern look at Selena. "I do."
"Okay, now let's get this over with," Penny said stiffly.
"Are you ready?" Selena asked, shaking off Patty's frosty reception.
Her eyes began to glow a fantastic purple, as she began the process. "I want you to use your power to move my thoughts into your mind."
Sceptical of the process, Penny closed reluctantly closed her eyes. After a few moments her head lit up with images, all being channelled to her by Selena. "What are you showing me?"
Selena did not reply, she simply let the visions move from her mind into Penny's, as she sorted through them, looking for one particular vision, she knew would make Penny help her.
As Selena's thoughts passed into her mind, Penny saw flashes of demonic wars, magic being exposed on earth, riots, witch hunts and the underworld descending into a state of anarchy. All these images and more flashed by so quickly, she could barely take them in, however the final image stopped as Selena found the image she so desperately wanted Penny to receive.
Rain poured gloomily soaking the entire graveyard as Patty Halliwell walked slowly, a fresh bunch of lilies in her arms, eventually stopping at the grave stone of Penelope Halliwell. Born June 23 1930, died March 8 1973. Heavily pregnant, Patty struggled to her knees and set the flowers down on the ground, propping them up against her mother's headstone. As tears flooded from her eyes, she began to speak.
"I…miss…you…so…much," she fought to speak against the tears. "I'm so sorry I couldn't save you. I am so sorry you had to die at the hands of that monster and that I couldn't be there." The rain continued to pour, soaking Patty completely to the bone, but she didn't care. She had visited this grave every week since Penny's death, and a rain shower was not going to stop her. "I'm almost due, we've decided to call her Penelope after her Grams," Patty said, a smile crossing her face for just a second. "I've tried to summon you, but the Elders claim I'm not ready emotionally to see you yet."
She ran her fingers over the letters on Penny's headstone. The words read; A loving mother and grandmother, one of the most charming women to grace the earth.
"What the hell was that?" Penny's eyes flew open and she abruptly snatched her hands away from Selena. "What was that?" she repeated rising to meet Patty.
"What's wrong, Mom? What happened?" Patty didn't have the greatest knowledge of Seers, but she knew that some talented Seers could transfer their visions to other none psychic beings essentially allowing one to see their own future. "What did you do?" she snapped, moving towards Selena in defence of her mother.
"We can still stop that from happening!" Selena said, dismissing Patty's question. "With my help you can stop that from happening!"
"Stop what? What's happening? What's going on?" Patty stammered, looking at both women for an answer.
"My death," Penny said grimly, without making eye contact with either of them. "I've just seen my death."
She moved away from Patty, and moved to stand in front of the fireplace, leaning against the mantle for support as she cradled her head in her hands. Death at the hands of a demon was perhaps one of Penny's greatest fears, and after the week's events so far, she wasn't sure if she had the fight left in her to deal with a demon that could potentially kill her, and if the vision was true it was a demon that she faced alone.
"What does that mean? Why? When?" Patty stumbled over her words. Her mother's death was something she couldn't even bare to think about, so the possibility of it happening soon was too much for her to take in. "Will someone please tell me!"
"Relax, I am here to make sure that doesn't happen, not by Xanthor's hand at least," Selena said, revealing the name of her master, as she fought against a smirk which was desperately trying to cross her face.
"Xanthor? Who is that?" Patty asked when Penny remained silent.
"He is the demon I have been working with," she paused. "I thought I had been working with," she corrected. "As it turns out, I was nothing more to him than disposable once he got what he wanted," she hissed bitterly. "That's one of the perks of being able to see your own future. You know when someone is going to double cross you."
"And what does he want?" Patty inquired, trying to understand where her mother came into Selena's plans.
"He wants to rule the underworld," she said matter-of-factly. She turned to Penny, who was still silent. "We need to stop him."
"How?" Penny asked, giving herself a much needed shake as she felt the pieces slowly come together.