A/N
Hay everyone sorry for the hiatus, but it was summer and I went fishing a lot. I am back now ready to write some more as I have missed it so much. Thank you for your patience and not hating me completely.
Chapter 14
Tainted
A week has past and Piper still did not believe she was ill and even started to think her family was behind it all. With no access to the book or anyone else to help her, she began to plot an escape. She was alone to write letters but the door had to be open and she had to give the pen back when she was done. She would take walks outside and look for ways to get out, weak spots in the fencing or wall. Trees branches that she could climb and all of this she kept to memory until she was allowed to write. She drawled it out and then hid it under her mattress hoping they would never do a search. She felt like a prisoner except the lack of orange that was never a good color for her anyway, she still felt locked up. Piper was adding to her latest map of the place when Prue and her sisters came in to her room.
"Piper," Prue said as she stepped into the room. Piper immediately felt panic and folded up the paper and tried to act like she was happy to see them, but inside she was angry that they could not fight the spell they were under.
"Prue I thought you guys were coming later today?" Piper asks while putting her arm on her path to freedom.
"No we said we would be here early," Prue replied as she came over to hug her. Piper put one arm around her older sister while keeping the other one in place. Her other sisters took their turns embracing her.
"Where is Leo?" Piper asks noticing the lack of his presence.
"He is coming later, he had to take care of some work stuff first," Phoebe replied.
"Oh," Piper said and looked down at the floor.
"The Dr. said the new meds are working well," Paige said but Piper continued to look at the floor.
"Yeah at this rate you might be out of here much sooner," Phoebe added hoping to some kind of response from her. But all Piper did was snort a little as in her mind they did not want her to come home.
"Sweetie are you ok because you know you can talk to us about anything?" Prue asks noticing the she was being distant.
"Right," Piper said to herself before looking up. "Yes, how is the club?" she asks finally making eye contact.
"Good we told the employees that you went on a long vacation," Phoebe replied.
Phoebe could see the paper under Piper's arm and wondered why she was covering it, but she knew that she kept a diary at home and thought it was the same thing. She could see the dark circles under Piper's eyes and her normally long silky hair was up in a ponytail and frizzed. "Do you want me to bring you your brush from home?" Phoebe asks and Piper touched her hair and felt ashamed about how she looked. "Piper its ok, I mean you don't have any of your conditioner so its not your fault," she continued and it seemed to make it worse as Piper looked away. Prue gave a hard look to Phoebe.
"So how is the food here?" Prue asks changing the subject quickly.
"Prisoners probably eat better," Piper replied as most of it was absent of flavor.
Leo walked in and Piper felt a sense of relive as whitelighters could usually not be under a spell. She stood up not thinking about the paper anymore as it was stuck for a moment to her arm and then floated down to the floor. It landed in front of Phoebe who could not help the compulsion to unfold it as Piper was hugging Leo.
"Hay baby how are you feeling?" Leo asks while squeezing her tight to him.
"Piper what is this?" Phoebe asks as she could see the whole place mapped out. Piper turned around and had to come up with something quick.
"I get lost sometimes so I just made a map," Piper replied as Phoebe continued to look it over and could see writing.
"Piper you are not thinking of trying to escape are you?" Phoebe asks as most people do not write 'use this branch or a weakness on a fence'.
Piper began to play with her hands while pressing her lips together while trying not to panic.
Phoebe could see the change in posture and knew she was lying. "Piper if you try that they will keep you here longer and why don't you want to get better?"
"Guys could you excuse us for a moment?" Leo asks as he could tell Piper was either afraid to say something or maybe having an escape.
"Sure," Prue replied they left Piper with Leo. He shut the door behind them so he could talk to her privately.
"Leo they are under a spell, I need to get home and try to use the book to...
"Piper stop, they are not under a spell and Phoebe is right if you try to get out of here before your allowed too, it will just make it worse," Leo said as Piper began to pace while running her hand over her frizzy hair.
"Leo please help me, you know I am right, they want to keep me here," Piper said through her teeth.
"No Piper they don't they want you home but you need to get better," Leo said.
Piper sat down on the bed and her body slumped and seemed defeated, but she was not one to go down without a fight and focused as she looked up over her brow. "I thought whitelighters could not be put under a spell," she said as the voices were adding fuel to the fire.
"He is lying they don't want you"
"No one wants you"
"You look like a rat"
"Piper please its just your paranoia, you know that its part of the illness," Leo said as he could tell she was fighting with something imaginary. She kept lifting her shoulder to her ear, which meant the voices were back. He walked up to her and knelt down while her eyes where dotting around the room. "Piper look at me," he said in a soft tone.
"Don't he will kill you"
"He is going to leave you"
"Its just your paranoia"
"Piper please look at me," he asks again and she just shook her head back and forth while tears began to stream out. He stood up as she was in an episode and all he could do was stand by and wait for it to end or the meds to intervening.
"Leo please don't leave me," she said and looked up at him. Her dark life filled eyes that he fell in love with, were glassed over and frightened.
"I will never leave you, I love you," he said and sat next to her. He knew he was not supposed to touch her while she was like this, but he could not just sit there. He put his arm around her and pulled her in close as she cried into his chest.
"I'm sorry, I will get better I promise," she said over and over again as the voices tried to their best to destroy her.
"Why would he not leave"
"Worthless"
"No one loves you"
"Need to escape"
Prue and the others stood outside her room as Phoebe looked over the map. "Should we tell the Dr.?" She asks.
"No Piper needs to trust us," Paige replied as she felt it would be a huge betrayal if they did.
"Paige I am trying to keep her from getting hurt," Phoebe said.
"Phoebe we are all trying to keep her from getting hurt but Paige is right, she needs our trust," Prue said as Leo opened the door.
"Is she ok?" Paige asks.
"No she is having a episode," he replied as they all looked in and could see her on the bed with her knees pressed into her chest and rocking back and forth. Her eyes fixed on a spot on the ground while mumbling to her self.
"I will get the doctor," Paige said and moved quickly to his office.
"She thinks you guys are under a spell and wants to keep her here," Leo said quietly.
"That's just the dam voices telling her that, I don't understand why she can't separate it?" Phoebe asks.
"I think its more complicated then that," Leo replied as the Dr. came up the them.
"Sorry guys but Piper needs to rest," he said as he walked in and shut the door. They could hear yelling as Piper was trying to get away from him, but the yells went to silent as he opened the door. Piper was now asleep as he held a syringe in his hand.
"Is she ok?" Prue asks.
"It is going to happen, she will have episodes and normally you will need to let them run its course, but if she tries to run I have no choice but to give her a shot. Its to keep her from hurting herself. Go home and get some rest, she should be ok tomorrow," he replied and walked to check on his other patients.
At the manner Cole was getting something to drink after cleaning up the place for the sisters. He took out a bottle of beer and went to toss the cap as a demon shimmered in and poured something into his drink. He then shimmered away before Cole turned around. He took a drink of the tainted liquid and noticed no change in its taste or texture. He then sat down in the living room impressed with his new cleaning skills without using magic. "When did I become soccer a mom," he asks himself while drinking the rest of his beer as the front door opens.
"Hay baby," Phoebe said as she sat next to him.
"Wow you actually did a good job," Prue said a little shocked that he even knew how to clean at all.
"Coming from you, I felt like I just won the noble cleaning price," he said and Prue just folded her arms.
"Don't get used to it," Prue said and went into the kitchen.
"How is Piper?" Cole asks.
"Not good, she thinks we are all under a spell that wants her to stay there," Phoebe replied.
"That sucks," Cole said while finishing his beer and realized how cold that sounded. "Sorry I.."
"Its ok we are all just a little tired right now, I think I am going to take a nap, you want to join me?" she said while nibbling on his ear.
"Nope I want to clean some more," he replied and smiled at her.
"Oh Phoebe look what you have done, you got him in touch with his female side," Paige said while raising her eyebrows.
"Never going to happen," he said and got up with Phoebe as Paige stretched.
"You should take one too," Phoebe said as Paige got up and followed them upstairs. "Hay your own room," she said as Paige giggled and then orbed home and Cole looked a little disappointed," That is disgusting," Phoebe said knowing what her lover was thinking.
"Hay I'm not related," he said as their door closed.
Back in the underworld the demon that was at the manner shimmered it.
"Is it done?" the seer asks.
"It is done," he replied as she grinned.
Piper stood in front of a moss covered red brick wall that surrounded the perimeter outside the hospital. She could not help but smirk at the hypocrisy of it, as she was let out of a small closed room to be embraced by the sun but denied its vastness to shine anywhere it chooses. As her eyes moved up and away from the darker green to the newer growth that was brighter and not as dense.
"Planning your escape," a voice said behind her and at first thought it was the annoying ones in her head. It was not until the actual person stood next to her that she realized the voice was external. "I know the look, but I think you're a little too short to reach that branch," he said while using his eyes as a pointer towards a tall oak tree that seemed to be in prison as well behind the wall.
"I was just looking at the moss," Piper said while avoiding eye contact.
"Piper right?" he asks.
"Yeah that's me," she replied as she turned to face him folding her arms.
"Brad my name is Brad," he said.
"Brad I am not really in the mood to talk," she said and began to walk away. He picked up his pace and got beside her.
"Listen it's not worth it, there will be a huge manhunt, or woman-hunt, not sure how that goes," he said and paused for a moment contemplating what it would be called. "Anyway they will catch you and then you will be sedated, let's just say the whole thing is not pleasant."
"First it's none of your business, and second I know how to elude people," she said and continued to walk. He again picked up his pace to catch up with her.
"You know for someone who is short, you sure walk fast," he said and smiled awkwardly as she rolled her eyes. "You are Paige's sister right?" he asks ignoring her obvious signs of irritation. She turned on her heels and took a deep breath through her nose trying to keep herself calm. He took a slight step backwards as Piper could send out quite a few vibes just with the look. "Sorry its just I wanted to know if she was seeing anyone?"
"No is that all?" Piper asks.
"Yap," he replied as she began to walk away again but unfortunately could hear the sound of slippers catching up. "Well not completely, she seems really nice and cool, do you think she would go for someone like me?"
Piper tilted her head slightly, "I think she likes her men not so confined," Piper replied and realized how that sounded as he looked away clearly hurt by the statement. "Brad I'm sorry she is not like that, its just I'm not here to be a matchmaker, I just need to get home," she said and walked away again.
"Good talk," he said as she walked away from him.
Piper made it back to her room and closed the door. All she wanted to do was scream and blow things up. Even though at first she hated that new power when she first got it, she could not help but admit it was a hell of a stress reliever. "I need to get the dam spell off them, but how?" she thought while putting the room to its paces by going back and forth. "How the hell am I going to get to the book and how am I going to read it considering its blocked from me?" she continued as a knock on the door interrupted her.
"Piper its time for your meds," a nurse said as she opens the door. Piper took the small cup that had two pills in it and the cup of water to wash it down. The nurse would not leave the door until Piper took the pills and opened her mouth to show she swallowed them. She hated them, they made her feel nothing and all she wanted to do was sleep. She didn't know what was worse, feeling absolutely nothing, no passion no desire no happiness or sadness just completely numb. The other option was to feel everything 100 fold as there seemed to be no in between with this illness at least not right now. But in her mind she was not ill but under a spell and so were her sisters and she needed to save them.
To be continued.