Melinda looked through her math notebook. " I can't believe I forgot my
homework again," she muttered to Byron.
" Chill out, it's one homework," he told her. She glared at him and stood up.
" If she's far away enough, I'll stop time and orb home," she whispered as she walked toward the door in time to see Philomela throw fire at Mrs. Lowell.
Melinda, panicked, threw out her hands, causing time to slow and stop. " Byron, get over here!" she called. He ran to her and both looked out the window.
" What is Philomela doing?"
" I don't know," Melinda said as she opened the door and ran outside.
" Mel!" called Peter. " What happened? I was in the middle of a math test and suddenly everything stopped." She pointed to the frozen Philomela.
" Oh," he said. He walked over to Mrs. Lowell and pushed her out of the way of the flames. Byron stood in front of the flames and held out his hand, causing red light to appear.
" Unfreeze just her," Byron said. Melinda waved her hands and Philomela's fire hit Byron's shield, absorbing into it. She stopped when she realized what happened.
" What the hell is wrong with you?" asked Peter. " You don't use your power on
people!"
" Why?" Philomela wondered.
Melinda blinked. " Did you ask why?"
" You guys don't get it," Philomela said. " You have the power to do whatever you want, and you're wasting it."
" Let's go home, to my mom and dad," offered Melinda. " They can help you."
" How sweet," Philomela snorted. She compacted her black fire into a ball and threw it at Melinda. The girl orbed in place as the fireball hit the wall.
Peter focused and set Philomela's clothes on fire. She screamed with pain and hurled fire at Peter, who levitated in the air for a moment, then came down.
" I have better things to do than play with you guys," Philomela sniffed. " See you later." She shimmered away.
The three teens exchanged looks. " So, what do we do now?" asked Melinda. "Time's about to unfreeze."
" I'm gonna go back to class, fake sick, and call Mom," Peter said. " You do the same. Byron, you stay here in case she comes back. OK?" Both nodded and hurried back to class.
**********************
The phone at P3 rang. " Honey, can you get it?" called Piper. Leo went to pick up the phone.
" Hello?" Leo answered.
" Dad, it's me."
" Hi, Mel. What's the matter?"
" I'm sick." It was obvious she was lying.
" Melinda, tell the truth." He heard time slow to a stop on the other end of the phone.
". Philomela just tried to kill a teacher AND Peter AND Byron AND me."
" Piper?" Leo called. She poked her head out of the backroom.
" What?" Her husband motioned to all the people in the restaurant and Piper froze the room. " What?"
" Philomela just tried to kill our daughter and nephew."
Piper's eyes bugged out. " How? She has no powers!"
" Not true," Melinda's voice blared out of the phone. " Paige gave them to her." Piper gave Leo and evil look and flexed her hands as if she wanted to wrap them around Paige's neck. " Can you pick me up?"
" Sure," Leo said, putting his head back into the phone. Stupid, stupid Leo, he chastised himself. " I'll see you in a minute." He hung up the phone. " I'll go get the car,"
" And I'll call Paige," Piper said, picking up the phone. " I'm sure she'll be thrilled to hear what Philomela is up to…"
**********************
" Denise!" shouted Paige. The young woman scurried into Paige's doorway.
" Yes, Ms. Matthews?"
" Go dig up Daniel Albertson's file. The legal department needs it." Denise nodded and walked away. The phone rang.
" Paige Matthews?" the woman answered cordially.
" Hi, it's me," Piper greeted her.
" Demon?" asked Paige.
Piper chuckled on the other end of the line. " Actually, just a half- demon."
" You mean Philomela?"
" Yes. Paige, did you give her her powers?"
Oh, no, thought Paige. " What did she do?"
" She tried to kill a teacher AND my daughter AND our nephew AND Byron."
" What?" Paige gasped. " But…how?"
" I don't know, but I can only think of one demon who's obsessed with our family."
Paige scowled. " The Seer." Suddenly she went paler than usual, a memory resurfacing. " When I was pregnant with her, the Seer predicted that Philomela would be heir to the Source!"
" I suggest that you take an early lunch and get your butt down here," Piper said matter-of-factly.
" See ya in a sec," Paige said as she set down the phone. " Denise? I'm going home."
Denise wrinkled her nose. " Food poisoning again?"
" Yeah," Paige lied.
" Gee, you sure have a weak stomach," Denise commented as Paige hurried out of her office and into the bathroom down the hall, orbing herself to P3.
" Chill out, it's one homework," he told her. She glared at him and stood up.
" If she's far away enough, I'll stop time and orb home," she whispered as she walked toward the door in time to see Philomela throw fire at Mrs. Lowell.
Melinda, panicked, threw out her hands, causing time to slow and stop. " Byron, get over here!" she called. He ran to her and both looked out the window.
" What is Philomela doing?"
" I don't know," Melinda said as she opened the door and ran outside.
" Mel!" called Peter. " What happened? I was in the middle of a math test and suddenly everything stopped." She pointed to the frozen Philomela.
" Oh," he said. He walked over to Mrs. Lowell and pushed her out of the way of the flames. Byron stood in front of the flames and held out his hand, causing red light to appear.
" Unfreeze just her," Byron said. Melinda waved her hands and Philomela's fire hit Byron's shield, absorbing into it. She stopped when she realized what happened.
" What the hell is wrong with you?" asked Peter. " You don't use your power on
people!"
" Why?" Philomela wondered.
Melinda blinked. " Did you ask why?"
" You guys don't get it," Philomela said. " You have the power to do whatever you want, and you're wasting it."
" Let's go home, to my mom and dad," offered Melinda. " They can help you."
" How sweet," Philomela snorted. She compacted her black fire into a ball and threw it at Melinda. The girl orbed in place as the fireball hit the wall.
Peter focused and set Philomela's clothes on fire. She screamed with pain and hurled fire at Peter, who levitated in the air for a moment, then came down.
" I have better things to do than play with you guys," Philomela sniffed. " See you later." She shimmered away.
The three teens exchanged looks. " So, what do we do now?" asked Melinda. "Time's about to unfreeze."
" I'm gonna go back to class, fake sick, and call Mom," Peter said. " You do the same. Byron, you stay here in case she comes back. OK?" Both nodded and hurried back to class.
**********************
The phone at P3 rang. " Honey, can you get it?" called Piper. Leo went to pick up the phone.
" Hello?" Leo answered.
" Dad, it's me."
" Hi, Mel. What's the matter?"
" I'm sick." It was obvious she was lying.
" Melinda, tell the truth." He heard time slow to a stop on the other end of the phone.
". Philomela just tried to kill a teacher AND Peter AND Byron AND me."
" Piper?" Leo called. She poked her head out of the backroom.
" What?" Her husband motioned to all the people in the restaurant and Piper froze the room. " What?"
" Philomela just tried to kill our daughter and nephew."
Piper's eyes bugged out. " How? She has no powers!"
" Not true," Melinda's voice blared out of the phone. " Paige gave them to her." Piper gave Leo and evil look and flexed her hands as if she wanted to wrap them around Paige's neck. " Can you pick me up?"
" Sure," Leo said, putting his head back into the phone. Stupid, stupid Leo, he chastised himself. " I'll see you in a minute." He hung up the phone. " I'll go get the car,"
" And I'll call Paige," Piper said, picking up the phone. " I'm sure she'll be thrilled to hear what Philomela is up to…"
**********************
" Denise!" shouted Paige. The young woman scurried into Paige's doorway.
" Yes, Ms. Matthews?"
" Go dig up Daniel Albertson's file. The legal department needs it." Denise nodded and walked away. The phone rang.
" Paige Matthews?" the woman answered cordially.
" Hi, it's me," Piper greeted her.
" Demon?" asked Paige.
Piper chuckled on the other end of the line. " Actually, just a half- demon."
" You mean Philomela?"
" Yes. Paige, did you give her her powers?"
Oh, no, thought Paige. " What did she do?"
" She tried to kill a teacher AND my daughter AND our nephew AND Byron."
" What?" Paige gasped. " But…how?"
" I don't know, but I can only think of one demon who's obsessed with our family."
Paige scowled. " The Seer." Suddenly she went paler than usual, a memory resurfacing. " When I was pregnant with her, the Seer predicted that Philomela would be heir to the Source!"
" I suggest that you take an early lunch and get your butt down here," Piper said matter-of-factly.
" See ya in a sec," Paige said as she set down the phone. " Denise? I'm going home."
Denise wrinkled her nose. " Food poisoning again?"
" Yeah," Paige lied.
" Gee, you sure have a weak stomach," Denise commented as Paige hurried out of her office and into the bathroom down the hall, orbing herself to P3.
