Patience ran in her home and quietly shut the door in hopes to not wake her daughter up. As she sat down in a chair around the table Phoebe came in to comfort her obviously troubled mother.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
"Nothing honey. Go back to bed."
Phoebe obediently turned around and went back to bed.
But there was something wrong. It seemed like all of her friends were dying. Was it really worth it? Was it worth risking the life of her daughter? But on the other hand was it her place to deny Phoebe of the powers that she would inherit when she was old enough? "No, it isn't my place to decide. But my powers and her powers won't help anyone if we are dead. If only I could--"
Patience stood up and walked over to the rug that hid the root cellar of her house. She grabbed the candle that she had lit on her way in and slowly descended the old wooden ladder. As she reached the bottom rung she felt her footing loosing hold. "I really need to get that fixed!" she scolder herself as she fought to stay upright. The ladder had been showing its age recently and one thing after another was breaking on it. "I might as well replace you," Patience said kicking the broken board.
The shelves were half filled with jars of vegetables and fruits that Patience had prepared for the winter season. It wasn't a lot, but it would do just fine for two people. Patience reached down and moved the board that was under the bottom of the ladder. Underneath it was a book that had a leather cover and was thick with pages.
She sat down on the floor and opened the book. "At least I still have you, my old friend. What am I going to do?" Patience flipped the pages one way and then another with a simple twitch of her finger. Her powers became more painful every time she used them. Finally she reached down with her hands and closed the book.
"Momma?" a voice called from above. "Momma? Where are you?"
"Just a second hon." Patience quickly hid the book and grabbed a jar from the shelf and ascended the ladder.
"What are you doing down there so late?"
"Just getting something for tomorrow. What do you need?"
"I forgot to tell you that Jason came by. He said something about having a picnic tomorrow for lunch."
"That sounds wonderful."
Jason was the father of Phoebe, though he still hadn't asked Patience to marry him, they acted as if there were. There was just something keeping him from it. "I sure wish I knew what he is afraid of."
"What mom?"
"Nothing. Go back to bed, and this time stay in there."
"Yes mother. I love you."
"I love you too. Now, off to bed."
* * *
A few hours later Patience snuck out of bed. She had waited to make sure that her daughter was asleep. She didn't want anymore spying to take place. As she shut the door it squeaked so loudly, but from the front window Patience could see that Phoebe hadn't even budged. "If a demon did attack her I wonder if she would even wake up to see him before he killed--" Patience busted out in tears. What if that really did happen? She wouldn't be able to protect herself at all.
As she reached the barn she opened the door and climbed up the ladder to the loft inside. The small door was open in the loft that let in the light of the full moon outside. Patience reached under some hay where she had placed Elizabeth's necklace the night before and Sarah's necklace the week before. As she held the two necklaces in her hand she reached up and removed her own necklace. She laid it in her hand with the others. It was all that she had left of her best friends' lives.
Patience laid the crescents on the ground and connected them end-to-end so that it formed somewhat of a triangle. Actually the shape looked almost identical to the symbol on the front of her family book except that it was lacking the circle. As Patience reached down to disconnect the three necklaces she found that they didn't want to come apart. Somehow they had formed a new necklace, one that would always remind Patience of the friends she had lost.
She quickly hid it underneath the hay again and went back to her bed. Hopefully she could get some sleep, but it sure wouldn't be easy. As she went in the house something drew her to going back into the cellar, but this time she used her powers to shut the door after she went in.
"I am going to have to be more careful," she scolded herself when she realized that she hadn't put the book back in its hiding place. "If someone came down her and saw--" Patience stopped mid sentence when she realized that the book she had closed before was now open. Patience got down on her knees and read the message that the spirits surely left for her. But instead of seeing a spell Patience found three sheets of long folded paper. As she opened each one she realized that the papers were birth certificates for Elizabeth, Patience, and Sarah.
"How did these get here?" Sarah asked as though there was someone there to give her an answer. A light appeared in the small cellar and Patience became ready to attack the intruder.
"I put them there," the image responded. Patience looked up and realized that the personage wasn't an evil entity at all.
"Mother! But why?"
"Because it is time to know who you really are."
"What do you mean?"
"You are one of three sisters. Sarah and Elizabeth were not only your best friends they were my daughters."
"And why did you wait until now to tell me."
"Do you remember reading the prophecy in the beginning of the book?"
"Yes, you read it to me."
"I was always scared that it was describing the three of you. I couldn't bare to loose all three of my daughters in the way that I imagined. Still, even though I separated you it still happened."
"What do you mean loose the three of us? I am still alive."
"Yes, you are now, but I know that the three of my daughters don't live--"
"Do you mean that I am going to die? But when and why?"
"I can not tell you that. You should know that is true."
"Yes, I do."
"But what about Phoebe?"
"She will be fine. Don't worry. The spirits will protect her."
"And why won't they protect me?"
"They have, but your time is soon up. But not for a while."
"But why?"
"Patience, did I ever tell you where your name came from?"
"No."
"As a baby still inside of me you waited long after your time to join us in this world. The woman that delivered you said that you were the most patient baby she had ever seen. Do not loose that quality now. When your time is over your life with me will return, and one day your daughter will join us."
"But mother, our powers weren't the greatest ever known. We weren't the Charmed Ones."
"I know, but I thought that if they didn't grow up with their powers that they would never find them. I was wrong. Still, the power of three never did developed."
"The power of three?"
"Yes, that is what Melinda called it."
"Your powers when joined together could have been the greatest ever known." With those last words her mother, Cassandra, disappeared just as she had come.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
"Nothing honey. Go back to bed."
Phoebe obediently turned around and went back to bed.
But there was something wrong. It seemed like all of her friends were dying. Was it really worth it? Was it worth risking the life of her daughter? But on the other hand was it her place to deny Phoebe of the powers that she would inherit when she was old enough? "No, it isn't my place to decide. But my powers and her powers won't help anyone if we are dead. If only I could--"
Patience stood up and walked over to the rug that hid the root cellar of her house. She grabbed the candle that she had lit on her way in and slowly descended the old wooden ladder. As she reached the bottom rung she felt her footing loosing hold. "I really need to get that fixed!" she scolder herself as she fought to stay upright. The ladder had been showing its age recently and one thing after another was breaking on it. "I might as well replace you," Patience said kicking the broken board.
The shelves were half filled with jars of vegetables and fruits that Patience had prepared for the winter season. It wasn't a lot, but it would do just fine for two people. Patience reached down and moved the board that was under the bottom of the ladder. Underneath it was a book that had a leather cover and was thick with pages.
She sat down on the floor and opened the book. "At least I still have you, my old friend. What am I going to do?" Patience flipped the pages one way and then another with a simple twitch of her finger. Her powers became more painful every time she used them. Finally she reached down with her hands and closed the book.
"Momma?" a voice called from above. "Momma? Where are you?"
"Just a second hon." Patience quickly hid the book and grabbed a jar from the shelf and ascended the ladder.
"What are you doing down there so late?"
"Just getting something for tomorrow. What do you need?"
"I forgot to tell you that Jason came by. He said something about having a picnic tomorrow for lunch."
"That sounds wonderful."
Jason was the father of Phoebe, though he still hadn't asked Patience to marry him, they acted as if there were. There was just something keeping him from it. "I sure wish I knew what he is afraid of."
"What mom?"
"Nothing. Go back to bed, and this time stay in there."
"Yes mother. I love you."
"I love you too. Now, off to bed."
* * *
A few hours later Patience snuck out of bed. She had waited to make sure that her daughter was asleep. She didn't want anymore spying to take place. As she shut the door it squeaked so loudly, but from the front window Patience could see that Phoebe hadn't even budged. "If a demon did attack her I wonder if she would even wake up to see him before he killed--" Patience busted out in tears. What if that really did happen? She wouldn't be able to protect herself at all.
As she reached the barn she opened the door and climbed up the ladder to the loft inside. The small door was open in the loft that let in the light of the full moon outside. Patience reached under some hay where she had placed Elizabeth's necklace the night before and Sarah's necklace the week before. As she held the two necklaces in her hand she reached up and removed her own necklace. She laid it in her hand with the others. It was all that she had left of her best friends' lives.
Patience laid the crescents on the ground and connected them end-to-end so that it formed somewhat of a triangle. Actually the shape looked almost identical to the symbol on the front of her family book except that it was lacking the circle. As Patience reached down to disconnect the three necklaces she found that they didn't want to come apart. Somehow they had formed a new necklace, one that would always remind Patience of the friends she had lost.
She quickly hid it underneath the hay again and went back to her bed. Hopefully she could get some sleep, but it sure wouldn't be easy. As she went in the house something drew her to going back into the cellar, but this time she used her powers to shut the door after she went in.
"I am going to have to be more careful," she scolded herself when she realized that she hadn't put the book back in its hiding place. "If someone came down her and saw--" Patience stopped mid sentence when she realized that the book she had closed before was now open. Patience got down on her knees and read the message that the spirits surely left for her. But instead of seeing a spell Patience found three sheets of long folded paper. As she opened each one she realized that the papers were birth certificates for Elizabeth, Patience, and Sarah.
"How did these get here?" Sarah asked as though there was someone there to give her an answer. A light appeared in the small cellar and Patience became ready to attack the intruder.
"I put them there," the image responded. Patience looked up and realized that the personage wasn't an evil entity at all.
"Mother! But why?"
"Because it is time to know who you really are."
"What do you mean?"
"You are one of three sisters. Sarah and Elizabeth were not only your best friends they were my daughters."
"And why did you wait until now to tell me."
"Do you remember reading the prophecy in the beginning of the book?"
"Yes, you read it to me."
"I was always scared that it was describing the three of you. I couldn't bare to loose all three of my daughters in the way that I imagined. Still, even though I separated you it still happened."
"What do you mean loose the three of us? I am still alive."
"Yes, you are now, but I know that the three of my daughters don't live--"
"Do you mean that I am going to die? But when and why?"
"I can not tell you that. You should know that is true."
"Yes, I do."
"But what about Phoebe?"
"She will be fine. Don't worry. The spirits will protect her."
"And why won't they protect me?"
"They have, but your time is soon up. But not for a while."
"But why?"
"Patience, did I ever tell you where your name came from?"
"No."
"As a baby still inside of me you waited long after your time to join us in this world. The woman that delivered you said that you were the most patient baby she had ever seen. Do not loose that quality now. When your time is over your life with me will return, and one day your daughter will join us."
"But mother, our powers weren't the greatest ever known. We weren't the Charmed Ones."
"I know, but I thought that if they didn't grow up with their powers that they would never find them. I was wrong. Still, the power of three never did developed."
"The power of three?"
"Yes, that is what Melinda called it."
"Your powers when joined together could have been the greatest ever known." With those last words her mother, Cassandra, disappeared just as she had come.
