FIVE
"Who the hell are you?" demanded Piper as the three sisters
jumped to their feet.
"My name is Matilda," said the woman. "And I'm sure you're
already know that I'm not a threat to you."
The woman was wearing a white dress. Her golden hair hung below
her shoulders. She appeared to be about Piper's age; perhaps a little
older. She stood smiling at the three sisters.
"No, I don't suppose you are," said Piper.
"How can you know that?" demanded Paige. "She just suddenly
appears here and you don't think she's a threat? After everything
that's happened?"
"She's not a threat," said Phoebe. "She couldn't be. She orbed
in. Which means she's a White Lighter. And White Lighters are on the
side of good."
"I've heard the Charmed Ones were quite intelligent," said
Matilda. "It's an honor to finally meet you."
"You know who we are?" asked Piper. "Or, at least, were."
"Yes," said Matilda. "I'm a White Lighter. I was away on a
sort of retreat when everything suddenly changed. My normal charges
don't know who I am. Even the Elders don't remember me. I can only
guess that my being away prevented me from being affected."
"What do you mean, 'being away'?" asked Phoebe.
"The retreat I mentioned," said Matilda, "is one that most White
Lighters take from time to time. We go to a dimension where good and
evil don't exist. A dimension where we don't have to worry about our
charges or helping people or anything like that. It's very restful
and helps us to sort of recharge our batteries, so to speak. I've
often tried to convince Leo to go there, but he always says he's too
busy."
"You know Leo?" asked Piper.
"Yes, very well," said Matilda. "You see, I'm what you might
call a senior White Lighter. I'm one of the oldest White Lighters
there are. I sit on the council that helps the Elders decide who
should become a White Lighter. Leo became one on my recommendation."
"So, that explains how you remember how things are supposed to
be," said Paige. "How come we weren't affected by the changes?"
"Because you are . . . were the Charmed Ones," said Matilda.
"Your magic must have protected you, at least that much. Otherwise,
you'd be like everyone else; believing that everything is as it should
be."
"Okay," said Paige, "the introductions have been made. Now, can
you tell us what's happened to us?"
"I'm not sure," said Matilda. "All I do know is that no one is
trying to fool you. Whatever has happened has happened everywhere.
Things have changed all over."
"So why has this happened?" asked Phoebe. "If no one is trying
to convince us that things have changed, if this is all natural, why
is it happening?"
"I never said it was natural," said Matilda. "I only said that
no one was trying to fool you. Only some form of powerful magic could
have accomplished this. And magic doesn't just happen on it's own.
Someone, or something, is doing it."
"Who?" asked Piper. "And what kind of magic can do this?"
"Who, I don't know," said Matilda. "The type of magic, I'm not
sure. The only type of magic I know of that can alter things is
psycho kinesis."
"Psycho kinesis?" questioned Paige. "Isn't that the ability to
move things with your mind?"
"No," said Piper. "That's telekinesis. Prue had that ability.
Psycho kinesis must be something else."
"It is," said Matilda. "Psycho kinesis is the ability to
control a person's surroundings and environment. Like using it to
alter the roll of dice, or the type of cards you get when playing a
game.
"But all the occurrences of psycho kinesis I've ever heard about
have been rare. And they've been minor. Like controlling the roll of
dice, as I said. Nothing on this scale. Someone who had the ability
to alter things on this scale would be nearly all-powerful. Nothing
would be able to stop them."
"Then why do all this?" asked Phoebe. "Why change all this?
Why not just change what they wanted changed?"
"Maybe they did," said Piper. "Remember I said that Patrice was
wearing the triquetra as a necklace? Maybe she changed all this so
she could become a Charmed One? In order to do that, she'd have to
make her sisters Charmed Ones as well."
"Why not just replace one of us?" asked Paige. "Instead of
changing all this?"
"To make her sisters Charmed Ones as well," said Piper. "I know
if I was going to give myself that kind of power, I'd want you two to
have them, too, not some strangers. Maybe she thought that with the
power of the Charmed Ones, she might be able to help her sister,
Pamela. The one in the coma."
"That makes sense," said Matilda. "In order for those three to
become the Charmed Ones, much of your personal history would have to
be changed. And changes in your history would have repercussions
elsewhere."
"So why keep us alive?" asked Phoebe. "If Patrice or whoever
did this can affect these kinds of changes, why let us live? Why not
just get rid of us, too?
"Besides," said Matilda, "we have no proof it was this Patrice.
Or her sisters. Them becoming the Charmed Ones instead of you may be
a sort of side effect of whatever the changes were meant to affect.
The actual change could have been something else, and changing who the
Charmed Ones are might just be a byproduct of that."
"I didn't say I had all the answers," said Piper. "But Patrice
is the best lead we've got."
"It's the only lead we've got," said Paige.
"Matilda," said Piper, "since you still remember everything the
way it should be, you can help us. With your orbing ability we can
get around faster than normal. We have to find out everything we can
and see if there's a way to change it back."
"Well," said Matilda, "I guess in a sense, you've become my
charges. Since we're the only ones who know how things are supposed
to be. But this may not be easy. With the changes that have been
made, we might not be able to find out what we need to know."
"We have to try," said Piper.
"I know," said Matilda. "I wasn't suggesting we didn't. I was
just pointing out that this might not be easy. And it may not be
possible to put things right again."
"What do you mean?" asked Phoebe.
"Just this," said Matilda. "Magic this powerful won't be
countered with a spell. Even a Power of Three spell wouldn't be
enough to counter it. Even if we can discover who's behind it,
there's no guarantee that we can convince them to put things back the
way they were."
"What is that supposed to mean?" asked Paige.
"Do you remember what happened when the Seer died?" asked
Matilda.
"Sure," said Piper. "She took most of the upper level demons
with her."
"And what about the spells and magic she had cast?" asked
Matilda.
"They all came undone," said Phoebe. "Without her to sustain
them, they couldn't . . .."
Phoebe's voice trailed off.
"Exactly my point," said Matilda. "If you can't convince
whomever is doing this to voluntarily put things back, the only way to
stop them would be to kill them. To end the magic so that everything
is restored."
Piper, Phoebe, and Paige could hardly believe what they were
hearing. If Patrice were behind this, she would have done it to
become a Charmed One. To help protect and fight for the innocent.
Which meant if they were to kill her, they would be violating
everything the Charmed Ones stood for. Everything they had come to
believe in the last four years.
It would mean, essentially, the taking of the life of an
innocent. Something the Charmed Ones were sworn to protect at any
cost. Even the cost of their own lives.
To be continued . . .
Be sure not to miss Part 3: The Other Side Of The Coin. With
mixed emotions about the possibility of having to kill an innocent to
set things straight, the sisters and their new White Lighter set out
to see if Patrice has, in fact, changed things. Each secretly praying
they can fine a way to set things right again without having to go to
such extremes.
If you've enjoyed this story, you can find more "Charmed"
stories at my website, www.geocities.com/killeenmale/. You can also
post your own "Charmed" stories if you like to write fan fiction.
"Who the hell are you?" demanded Piper as the three sisters
jumped to their feet.
"My name is Matilda," said the woman. "And I'm sure you're
already know that I'm not a threat to you."
The woman was wearing a white dress. Her golden hair hung below
her shoulders. She appeared to be about Piper's age; perhaps a little
older. She stood smiling at the three sisters.
"No, I don't suppose you are," said Piper.
"How can you know that?" demanded Paige. "She just suddenly
appears here and you don't think she's a threat? After everything
that's happened?"
"She's not a threat," said Phoebe. "She couldn't be. She orbed
in. Which means she's a White Lighter. And White Lighters are on the
side of good."
"I've heard the Charmed Ones were quite intelligent," said
Matilda. "It's an honor to finally meet you."
"You know who we are?" asked Piper. "Or, at least, were."
"Yes," said Matilda. "I'm a White Lighter. I was away on a
sort of retreat when everything suddenly changed. My normal charges
don't know who I am. Even the Elders don't remember me. I can only
guess that my being away prevented me from being affected."
"What do you mean, 'being away'?" asked Phoebe.
"The retreat I mentioned," said Matilda, "is one that most White
Lighters take from time to time. We go to a dimension where good and
evil don't exist. A dimension where we don't have to worry about our
charges or helping people or anything like that. It's very restful
and helps us to sort of recharge our batteries, so to speak. I've
often tried to convince Leo to go there, but he always says he's too
busy."
"You know Leo?" asked Piper.
"Yes, very well," said Matilda. "You see, I'm what you might
call a senior White Lighter. I'm one of the oldest White Lighters
there are. I sit on the council that helps the Elders decide who
should become a White Lighter. Leo became one on my recommendation."
"So, that explains how you remember how things are supposed to
be," said Paige. "How come we weren't affected by the changes?"
"Because you are . . . were the Charmed Ones," said Matilda.
"Your magic must have protected you, at least that much. Otherwise,
you'd be like everyone else; believing that everything is as it should
be."
"Okay," said Paige, "the introductions have been made. Now, can
you tell us what's happened to us?"
"I'm not sure," said Matilda. "All I do know is that no one is
trying to fool you. Whatever has happened has happened everywhere.
Things have changed all over."
"So why has this happened?" asked Phoebe. "If no one is trying
to convince us that things have changed, if this is all natural, why
is it happening?"
"I never said it was natural," said Matilda. "I only said that
no one was trying to fool you. Only some form of powerful magic could
have accomplished this. And magic doesn't just happen on it's own.
Someone, or something, is doing it."
"Who?" asked Piper. "And what kind of magic can do this?"
"Who, I don't know," said Matilda. "The type of magic, I'm not
sure. The only type of magic I know of that can alter things is
psycho kinesis."
"Psycho kinesis?" questioned Paige. "Isn't that the ability to
move things with your mind?"
"No," said Piper. "That's telekinesis. Prue had that ability.
Psycho kinesis must be something else."
"It is," said Matilda. "Psycho kinesis is the ability to
control a person's surroundings and environment. Like using it to
alter the roll of dice, or the type of cards you get when playing a
game.
"But all the occurrences of psycho kinesis I've ever heard about
have been rare. And they've been minor. Like controlling the roll of
dice, as I said. Nothing on this scale. Someone who had the ability
to alter things on this scale would be nearly all-powerful. Nothing
would be able to stop them."
"Then why do all this?" asked Phoebe. "Why change all this?
Why not just change what they wanted changed?"
"Maybe they did," said Piper. "Remember I said that Patrice was
wearing the triquetra as a necklace? Maybe she changed all this so
she could become a Charmed One? In order to do that, she'd have to
make her sisters Charmed Ones as well."
"Why not just replace one of us?" asked Paige. "Instead of
changing all this?"
"To make her sisters Charmed Ones as well," said Piper. "I know
if I was going to give myself that kind of power, I'd want you two to
have them, too, not some strangers. Maybe she thought that with the
power of the Charmed Ones, she might be able to help her sister,
Pamela. The one in the coma."
"That makes sense," said Matilda. "In order for those three to
become the Charmed Ones, much of your personal history would have to
be changed. And changes in your history would have repercussions
elsewhere."
"So why keep us alive?" asked Phoebe. "If Patrice or whoever
did this can affect these kinds of changes, why let us live? Why not
just get rid of us, too?
"Besides," said Matilda, "we have no proof it was this Patrice.
Or her sisters. Them becoming the Charmed Ones instead of you may be
a sort of side effect of whatever the changes were meant to affect.
The actual change could have been something else, and changing who the
Charmed Ones are might just be a byproduct of that."
"I didn't say I had all the answers," said Piper. "But Patrice
is the best lead we've got."
"It's the only lead we've got," said Paige.
"Matilda," said Piper, "since you still remember everything the
way it should be, you can help us. With your orbing ability we can
get around faster than normal. We have to find out everything we can
and see if there's a way to change it back."
"Well," said Matilda, "I guess in a sense, you've become my
charges. Since we're the only ones who know how things are supposed
to be. But this may not be easy. With the changes that have been
made, we might not be able to find out what we need to know."
"We have to try," said Piper.
"I know," said Matilda. "I wasn't suggesting we didn't. I was
just pointing out that this might not be easy. And it may not be
possible to put things right again."
"What do you mean?" asked Phoebe.
"Just this," said Matilda. "Magic this powerful won't be
countered with a spell. Even a Power of Three spell wouldn't be
enough to counter it. Even if we can discover who's behind it,
there's no guarantee that we can convince them to put things back the
way they were."
"What is that supposed to mean?" asked Paige.
"Do you remember what happened when the Seer died?" asked
Matilda.
"Sure," said Piper. "She took most of the upper level demons
with her."
"And what about the spells and magic she had cast?" asked
Matilda.
"They all came undone," said Phoebe. "Without her to sustain
them, they couldn't . . .."
Phoebe's voice trailed off.
"Exactly my point," said Matilda. "If you can't convince
whomever is doing this to voluntarily put things back, the only way to
stop them would be to kill them. To end the magic so that everything
is restored."
Piper, Phoebe, and Paige could hardly believe what they were
hearing. If Patrice were behind this, she would have done it to
become a Charmed One. To help protect and fight for the innocent.
Which meant if they were to kill her, they would be violating
everything the Charmed Ones stood for. Everything they had come to
believe in the last four years.
It would mean, essentially, the taking of the life of an
innocent. Something the Charmed Ones were sworn to protect at any
cost. Even the cost of their own lives.
To be continued . . .
Be sure not to miss Part 3: The Other Side Of The Coin. With
mixed emotions about the possibility of having to kill an innocent to
set things straight, the sisters and their new White Lighter set out
to see if Patrice has, in fact, changed things. Each secretly praying
they can fine a way to set things right again without having to go to
such extremes.
If you've enjoyed this story, you can find more "Charmed"
stories at my website, www.geocities.com/killeenmale/. You can also
post your own "Charmed" stories if you like to write fan fiction.