CHARMED
"UNCHARMED"
by J. B. Tilton
email: aramath@isot.com
Rating: PG-13 (for mild language)
PART 2: WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN
Piper, Phoebe, and Paige soon find out that even more has
changed than they originally thought. When it begins to look like
they will never be able to set things right, they receive an
unexpected visitor. But not even this special visitor may be able to
help them
* * *
ONE
Phoebe walked into the main lobby of the newspaper. She looked
around but everything seemed to be in order. People were coming and
going as they went about their daily business. She entered an
elevator and took it to the floor where her office was.
The newsroom was buzzing with activity. Phoebe said hello to
several of the people she recognized. They said hello back, but it
wasn't the normal type of hello she was used to. More like the type
of hello someone says to someone they didn't know and were just being
polite.
She opened the door to her office and stepped in. She stopped
short when she saw a woman sitting at her desk, typing something. The
woman was about thirty, wearing a nice business suit. She looked up when Phoebe came into the office.
"Can I help you?" asked the woman, turning from the typewriter.
"I was about to ask you that," said Phoebe. "What are you doing
in my office?"
"Your office?" questioned the woman. "This has been my office
for the past three years. Maybe you're on the wrong floor."
"No, I don't think so," said Phoebe. "I write the advice column
for the paper. I've had this office for several months."
"I don't think so," said the woman. "As I said, I've been Miss
Emily for three years now. I'm not sure what you're trying to pull
here, but I can assure you, it's not going to work."
Just then a woman stepped into the office. Phoebe recognized
the woman as Janice Hickock, her editor.
"Janice, what's going on here?" asked Phoebe. "This woman says
this is her office. Will you explain to her this is my office and I
have work I need to get done?"
"Do I know you?" asked the woman. "Carmen has been our advice
columnist for almost three years. I don't know who you are, but I can
assure you, you don't work in this office."
"But," Phoebe began to protest.
"Listen," said the woman known as Carmen, "obviously there's
been some kind of mistake here. I'm sure that Janice will agree that
if you leave here now, we can just forget this entire incident."
"No harm's been done," said Janice. "Now, miss, you'll have to
leave. We're very busy here. Please don't force me to call security
to have you escorted out."
Phoebe looked at the two women for a minute, then turned and
left the office. Not knowing what else to do, she left the paper.
She walked up the street thinking.
Apparently more had changed than just them being the Charmed
Ones. That made sense. Phoebe had gotten the job at the paper
indirectly because they had saved the previous advice columnist. In
helping the woman keep her job, Phoebe had provided the newspaper with
what the editor had described as great advice.
That begged the question, what did she do now? She still lived
in the manor, so apparently she was still in San Francisco. If things
had changed enough, she might never have returned to San Francisco.
She was trying to decide what to do next when someone hollered at her.
"Phoebe," said a man, about forty, wearing a suit, coming up to
her. "Phoebe, what happened to you this morning? You've never missed
a meeting before. I was getting worried."
"Meeting?" questioned Phoebe, wondering who the man was. "What
meeting?"
"Don't play dumb with me," said the man. "You know you have to
come see me once a week. It's a condition of your parole. I could
violate you for this, but you've been a model client for the last six
months."
"Parole?" questioned Phoebe. "I've been on parole for six
months?"
"Are you okay?" asked the man. "You really sound like you don't
know what I'm talking about. Listen, maybe you're not feeling well.
I'm willing to accept that. As I said, you haven't been any trouble
since you got out.
"I know you don't have a job yet and I'm working on it for you.
But you have to keep your appointments with me. If you don't, I'll
have no choice but to send you back to prison. Go home, get some
rest, and come by to see me tomorrow. Maybe by then I'll have found a
job for you."
"Uh, okay," said Phoebe, still stunned by learning she was on
parole. "I'll, uh, get some rest. Do you have a card or something?
So I can make sure I get the number right?"
"Honestly," said the man, taking a card out of his pocket. "You
really should memorize the number. This is the third time I've given
it to you. Now, don't forget to call me."
"I will," said Phoebe.
The man walked away and Phoebe looked at the card. Mark Thomas,
Parole Officer. There was an address and phone number, but Phoebe
didn't know recognize either. Not knowing what else to do, she
decided to return to the manor. Maybe Paige and Piper had better luck
at finding out what had happened to them. Or rather, to the world
around them.
"UNCHARMED"
by J. B. Tilton
email: aramath@isot.com
Rating: PG-13 (for mild language)
PART 2: WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN
Piper, Phoebe, and Paige soon find out that even more has
changed than they originally thought. When it begins to look like
they will never be able to set things right, they receive an
unexpected visitor. But not even this special visitor may be able to
help them
* * *
ONE
Phoebe walked into the main lobby of the newspaper. She looked
around but everything seemed to be in order. People were coming and
going as they went about their daily business. She entered an
elevator and took it to the floor where her office was.
The newsroom was buzzing with activity. Phoebe said hello to
several of the people she recognized. They said hello back, but it
wasn't the normal type of hello she was used to. More like the type
of hello someone says to someone they didn't know and were just being
polite.
She opened the door to her office and stepped in. She stopped
short when she saw a woman sitting at her desk, typing something. The
woman was about thirty, wearing a nice business suit. She looked up when Phoebe came into the office.
"Can I help you?" asked the woman, turning from the typewriter.
"I was about to ask you that," said Phoebe. "What are you doing
in my office?"
"Your office?" questioned the woman. "This has been my office
for the past three years. Maybe you're on the wrong floor."
"No, I don't think so," said Phoebe. "I write the advice column
for the paper. I've had this office for several months."
"I don't think so," said the woman. "As I said, I've been Miss
Emily for three years now. I'm not sure what you're trying to pull
here, but I can assure you, it's not going to work."
Just then a woman stepped into the office. Phoebe recognized
the woman as Janice Hickock, her editor.
"Janice, what's going on here?" asked Phoebe. "This woman says
this is her office. Will you explain to her this is my office and I
have work I need to get done?"
"Do I know you?" asked the woman. "Carmen has been our advice
columnist for almost three years. I don't know who you are, but I can
assure you, you don't work in this office."
"But," Phoebe began to protest.
"Listen," said the woman known as Carmen, "obviously there's
been some kind of mistake here. I'm sure that Janice will agree that
if you leave here now, we can just forget this entire incident."
"No harm's been done," said Janice. "Now, miss, you'll have to
leave. We're very busy here. Please don't force me to call security
to have you escorted out."
Phoebe looked at the two women for a minute, then turned and
left the office. Not knowing what else to do, she left the paper.
She walked up the street thinking.
Apparently more had changed than just them being the Charmed
Ones. That made sense. Phoebe had gotten the job at the paper
indirectly because they had saved the previous advice columnist. In
helping the woman keep her job, Phoebe had provided the newspaper with
what the editor had described as great advice.
That begged the question, what did she do now? She still lived
in the manor, so apparently she was still in San Francisco. If things
had changed enough, she might never have returned to San Francisco.
She was trying to decide what to do next when someone hollered at her.
"Phoebe," said a man, about forty, wearing a suit, coming up to
her. "Phoebe, what happened to you this morning? You've never missed
a meeting before. I was getting worried."
"Meeting?" questioned Phoebe, wondering who the man was. "What
meeting?"
"Don't play dumb with me," said the man. "You know you have to
come see me once a week. It's a condition of your parole. I could
violate you for this, but you've been a model client for the last six
months."
"Parole?" questioned Phoebe. "I've been on parole for six
months?"
"Are you okay?" asked the man. "You really sound like you don't
know what I'm talking about. Listen, maybe you're not feeling well.
I'm willing to accept that. As I said, you haven't been any trouble
since you got out.
"I know you don't have a job yet and I'm working on it for you.
But you have to keep your appointments with me. If you don't, I'll
have no choice but to send you back to prison. Go home, get some
rest, and come by to see me tomorrow. Maybe by then I'll have found a
job for you."
"Uh, okay," said Phoebe, still stunned by learning she was on
parole. "I'll, uh, get some rest. Do you have a card or something?
So I can make sure I get the number right?"
"Honestly," said the man, taking a card out of his pocket. "You
really should memorize the number. This is the third time I've given
it to you. Now, don't forget to call me."
"I will," said Phoebe.
The man walked away and Phoebe looked at the card. Mark Thomas,
Parole Officer. There was an address and phone number, but Phoebe
didn't know recognize either. Not knowing what else to do, she
decided to return to the manor. Maybe Paige and Piper had better luck
at finding out what had happened to them. Or rather, to the world
around them.