Ch. 1: Beginning of school
An alarm clock goes off in a quaint house on Prescott Street. A slender arm goes up and slams down on the offending nuisance. The comforter covered lump on the bed grumbled for about two minutes before lifting the covers. Shoulder length hair was strewn all over the disgruntled head of a young woman. She tries to rub the sleep out of her eyes but to no avail for she slowly seeks the comfort of her pillow again. Before her dream prince could turn around and kiss her, the blaring noise of her snooze alarm on her digital clock shocks her awake.
"Okay, okay. I give up. I surrender."
She reached over to her nightstand to find her glasses. Once she has them on, she wades through the mess she likes to call the floor.
She thinks to herself, "I really have to clean up this room. Dad will probably have a seizure if he comes to see my room like this again."
She walks over to her table and sits down in front of the mirror. She slowly brushes her hair into a semblance of order. As she finishes, she looks up at the mirror. Dark brown eyes framed by her glasses stare back at her. She sighs and looks down at a picture frame on her table. On it is a beautiful older woman, and on the bottom part of the frame it reads 'Mom.'
She gives another sigh but this one tinged with a little bit of sadness. "I wish you're here now Mom. It's my senior year in high school, and you won't be here. I know I got over blaming you a long time ago for leaving us but without you here, my graduation just won't be as memorable." She looks down at her lap for a few seconds before shaking off the melancholy air.
"Well, better get ready for school. It'll be my last year, might as well make the effort of getting there on time." She grabs a towel off the floor and heads to the bathroom down the hall.
When she opens the door, she sees two head pop out of two other bedrooms next to hers. All of them eyeing the bathroom door, and then eyeing each other. Before the other two could take a step toward the bathroom, they hear its door locking.
The other girl quickly rushes the bathroom door and knocks loudly, ready to knock it down. "MELINDA GRACE HALLIWELL-WYATT!! That was completely unfair. You know we're not supposed to use our powers for personal gain!! I hope you grow a huge pimple on you forehead for that!" shouted the fiery redhead.
"You're just jealous that you couldn't do the same thing, so HA!" Melinda shouted back.
"Please, keep the tempers down, ladies. I'm still trying to wake up here," said the 17-year old guy groggily as he walked toward the redhead, "If you want Trish, you can go before me. I'm just going to sit down on this nice floor, wait my turn and maybe catch a few z's."
"Well thank you Alex, at least some people here are consid-," before Patricia 'Trish' Halliwell could finish, she was interrupted by the snores coming from one Alexander Cole Halliwell, "Ugh! Well that was rude. Couldn't even stay awake long enough for me to thank him." Trish stomps back to her room completely unhappy on how her day was starting. Of course, Alex was smiling all the while because everything was working out fine.
Melinda quickly finishes her shower and wraps her towel around herself. "Good morning, Alex. I see you've tricked our dear young cousin again."
"Mornin' to ya to Mel. Hey, it's not my fault if she fell for it again," Alex comments nonchalantly. As soon as he locks the bathroom door, he hears a rampaging Trish.
Trish shouted though the door, "Oh!! You're going to so get it when you get out of there."
Alex laughs back, "Hey! You snooze, you lose."
As Alex gets in the shower, he thinks, "Man, I wouldn't trade this family for the world." As soon as he thinks this, he gets that eerie feeling before a premonition. He thinks, "Well that's weird. I could've sworn I was gonna get a premonition. Hmmmm, maybe it means school will be canceled today. Yeah right, I wish." He forgets about the feeling and continues to get ready for school.
Downstairs, a domesticated whitelighter is preparing breakfast for the family. "Another year of school. And my daughter's last year in high school and then off to college. Ugh! I'm getting too old," Leo Wyatt ponders. In actuality, he doesn't look a day over 30 all thanks to being a whitelighter. "My kid, heck all the Halliwell kids, are growing up so fast and have grown up fast. Being witches, especially teenaged Halliwell witches, has taken its toll. But Piper, Phoebe, and Paige, I know you would be proud of them." Leo lets go of some his musings and continues with the morning meal.
"Mel! Alex! Trish! Come on and get your butts down here and eat some breakfast and get to school," yells Leo.
Like a pounding stampede, three teenagers rush to the kitchen and head to the table. A tornado of arms starts swarming over the breakfast and the same time barrage of noise slams into Leo's ears.
"Dad can I borrow the…"
"Hey, Uncle Leo could you sign…"
"And how's my favorite uncle? The same uncle that will let me…"
Leo raises his hands and says, "Whoa there kids. Ease up on the old man here," after everybody quiets down a bit, "Now, let me answer everybody. Mel, you can use the car BUT only from here to school and back. Alex, hand me a pen and let me sign your permission slip. And for the 100th time, Trish, you cannot get a tattoo. No matter how cool you think they are or no matter how much you point out that your mother and both you aunts had one. The answer is still NO." Two of the Halliwell teens gave a heartfelt thanks, while the youngest one grumbled to herself the unfairness of it all.
"Now that's finished, I want everybody to remember to come home today directly from school. Each one of you has to practice up on your potions. That last vanquishing potion didn't have the right amount of acacia, and we almost blew it against that low-level demon," Leo paused for the resounding groans from the other three, "Hey don't complain to me. After two years, of this, you three should have mastered potions by now. Good thing it was only a low-level demon. Now I don't want to hear any more complaining. Understood?"
"Yes, Dad." "Yes, sir" "Yes, Uncle Leo."
"Now, everybody hurry up and clean your dishes and head off to school. It looks like you three will be late for the first day of school…again."
****
"Ughh, I can't believe Dad was treating us like children, again. It wasn't my fault. The Book of Shadows said a pinch of acacia. So I pinched," Mel complained.
"Don't worry about it Mel. I think your Dad is just worried about us. Our powers were bound until we reached our 18th birthdays so we can have a normal childhood, but we weren't even suppose to have our powers unbound that early. It was only because…you know…" There's an uncomfortable pause before Alex continues in a quiet voice, "Our moms died."
"Yeah I know, Alex. But it's just…we've been at this for two years now. He has to let us learn from our mistakes our own way. He's suppose to be our whitelighter. Only there when we need the guidance and advise. Not nagging us every step of the way," Melinda further complained.
"Yeah well, I can't believe Uncle Leo won't let me get a tattoo. I mean come on it's a form of expression and individuality," Trish added to lighten the mood.
"Yeah and the fact that your three other friends has one doesn't have any influence in this at all. Sure you want to be unique, just like everybody else," quipped Alex.
"Hey, I resent that comment," Trish said in mock anger.
Melinda laughs, "Come on you guys, let's get to class before we're appallingly late. I'll see you two at lunch, okay?"
"Sure Mel," the other two said before heading to their respective classes.
****
"Boy, Mr. Martinez is so boring," Melinda thinks while looking out the window, "I don't know why I need economics. All I got to know about money is how to spend it." She continues staring out the window thinking of spending said money on that great skirt that would look great on her.
Mr. Martinez interrupts her daydreaming, "Everybody, we have a new student in class today. His name is Jackson St. Claire. And please class; remember that you're seniors now. Try not to harass the new kid." Mr. Martinez points to an empty seat next to Melinda.
Melinda turns to the new student for an examination. "Okay, wearing black long sleeve t-shirt with black jeans and black boots…hmmm…can we say gothic?" Melinda thinks to herself "all that black hair is covering his face." In the instant she thinks this, his head lifts and the chin length hair uncovers his face.
"Oh…My…God," Melinda thinks in amazement, "He has the most beautiful sea green eyes." Then, they both realize they have been staring at each other, and both quickly put turn their heads back to the teacher.
"Ms. Wyatt, if you're done gazing lovingly into Mr. St. Claire's eyes," eliciting laughs from the other students, "Maybe you can answer my question: What happens when inflation…" Then the bell rings before he could finish. "Okay class, I want everybody to read the first chapter tonight and be prepared for a quiz tomorrow." Groans are heard as students filed out of class.
Melinda tries to catch up to the tall, lean new student. "Hey! Jackson, wait up," shouts Melinda. She thinks to herself, "I don't what has gotten into me. I'm not normally this forward. But I have this feeling that I should get to know him better."
Jackson continues to weave through the hall traffic, walking as if he didn't hear her call out. But finally Melinda catches up to him, "Hey! Jackson. I just wanted to apologize about embarrassing you back there."
"It's okay. I was embarrassing you too anyway. Um…I really need to find my next class," Jackson says. He seems uneasy talking to her and continues to avoid making eye contact. "It was nice meeting with you…"
As he tries to walk away, Melinda grabs his arm and noticing that Jackson flinched, "Oh! I'm sorry. Are you hurt?"
Jackson stumbles for words, "Um…It's nothing…I'm just clumsy…bumped into something." He moves his arm out of her hands.
"Well, I just wanted to invite you to sit with me…I mean with my cousins and me during lunch," Melinda requests. "Great Mel. Why don't just go ahead and ask him to make out with you," Melinda thinks to herself, "I can't believe I'm getting a crush on the new kid."
Jackson replies, "Sure…Thanks." He turns away and fleeing like he's trying to avoid anymore uncomfortable situations. "I can't believe a pretty girl like her would talk to a geek like me…and I almost blew it when she grabbed my sore arm…oh well, I think she bought my excuse…Melinda Wyatt…what a nice name," Jackson thinks to himself.
****
"There's this new kid in my eco class, and I invited him to eat with us," Melinda informed her cousins.
"Oh! Oh! I smell a crush in the air," Trish comments while pointing a finger at her older cousin.
"For your information, I was just trying to be nice to the new kid," Melinda replies back.
"Says the Queen of the Shy People…Mel you don't normally go up to people and invite them to eat with you," Alex points out.
"I know...it's just I think…Oh! There he is." Melinda stands up from the round table and waves her hand toward the guy in question.
Alex leans over to Trish and whispers, "You're right. I think she does have a crush."
"I heard that," Melinda says as she sits back down. The other two put on their innocent faces but are obviously trying to not burst out laughing
Trish looking over in the new guys direction says, "Hey Mel…Now I know why you have a crush on him. I think he's cute."
"For the last time, I don't have a crush on him," then Melinda quickly adds, "and I saw him first." The other two quickly laugh at her final comment
Jackson finally arrives at the Halliwell's table. Melinda stands up and introduces him to her cousins, "Jackson St. Claire, I would like you meet my cousins Alexander and Patricia Halliwell."
"Nice to meet both of you," Jackson replies. He goes over to shake Trish's hand, "You can call me Trish…Patricia's just too formal for me." Jackson smiles and moves over to shake Alex's hand.
As soon as the guys' hands touch, Alex receives a premonition.
::Flash::
It's nighttime. Jackson standing on a building looking down below. It looks like a darklighter whispering in Jackson's ear.
::Flash::
"Um…can I have my hand back?" Jackson asks. He looks very uncomfortable with Alex gripping his hand very hard and eyes closed.
Melinda quickly realizes what has happened. "Trish why don't you take Alex to the nurse's office for his 'medication'" She turns to Jackson, "He's…uh…diabetic and sometimes forgets to go the nurse during lunch time." Trish and Alex quickly leave cafeteria to talk about the premonition.
"Why don't you have a seat while we wait for them to come back," Melinda says in an assuring manner.
"Uh sure, thanks," Jackson. "Why do I have the feeling that something weird is going on and it has nothing to do with diabetes," Jackson thinks to himself.
"So…" Melinda trying to find a way to start to the conversation, "why did you move here?"
"Um…my dad wanted to move here…he said he was going to do a job, got it from some source," Jackson seems uncomfortable talking about his dad, "I usually do what he tells me…you know how it is."
"Yeah, dads can be overbearing sometimes," Melinda says, "so where did you move from?"
Jackson trying to change the subject from his personal life asks, "So what does your dad do?"
Melinda answers with her father's cover story, "Oh he's a home improvement guy, goes around people's homes fixing things," and thinks to herself, "He's also a whitelighter watching over three witches who apparently have a new innocent to protect, but we'll save this conversation for later. Hoping there is a later 'cause I really like this guy."
The lunch continued with Melinda and Jackson exchanging information about each other, but Jackson kept the conversation from getting too personal about him. Alex and Trish returned, and the three witches were giving each other meaningful looks that basically meant 'We need to talk after school.' But the rest of the lunch period was like any typical high school cafeteria, loud and chaotic.
****
Melinda, Alex and Trish get into the jeep ready to get to business. As Melinda drives out the school parking lot, she speaks up, "So Alex what did you see?"
"You sure can pick them Mel," Alex comments, "We have the usual darklighter messing with an innocent. Let's ask your dad if this Jackson is suppose to be some future whitelighter."
Trish speaks up, "You know what was weird. This guy doesn't feel like the type to become a whitelighter. In fact he found out more about us than we found out about him. Makes you kind of suspicious."
"Well it doesn't matter. He's still our innocent and we have to protect him from that darklighter," Mel said in defense.
"I didn't mean anything by it Mel. All I'm saying is he might be hiding something. Let's be careful about this," Trish says in the attempts to keep an argument from brewing.
"I know. But I just get this strong feeling to trust him. Like we're suppose to always watch over him," Melinda says with a sigh, "And you know what dad says about trusting those witch-y gut feelings."
"Are you sure it's your instincts talking here or maybe it's your heart," Alex points out.
"Find I admit that I do find him attractive, but it's something else. Can't you two feel it?" Mel asks.
"Now that you mentioned it, I head this weird feeling this morning. Kind of like when I'm about to get a premonition but I didn't think anything of it," Alex mentions. Alex turns around to look at Trish.
"Hey don't look at me. Remember I'm the brute force of this trio. I haven't had a single witch twitch all day," Trish says with both hands raised.
"Well, we'll soon find out when we ask Dad about it."