THREE
"You're my half sister?" questioned Prue. "I don't understand."
"After our mother and her White Lighter left," said Paige, "I
was born a couple of years later. They were afraid that if the Elders
found out about me, they might try to do something. I'm not real
clear on what they were afraid of, but they were.
"Anyway, they decided to give me up for adoption. To protect
me. My foster parents adopted me and for most of my life I had no
idea where I came from. After you died, I was magically summoned to
your funeral. As I said, that's where I met Piper and Phoebe."
"And the Power of Three was restored through you?" asked Prue.
"Yes," said Paige. "We read the same incantation from the Book
of Shadows that Phoebe first read four years ago and, voila, instant
Power of Three."
"So you got my powers," interjected Prue. "I lost them after I
died. I assumed they were lost forever."
"Not exactly," said Paige. "I did sort of inherit your
telekinesis ability. But it works differently with me. Maybe it's
because I'm half White Lighter or maybe it's because I'm a different
person, I don't know. I can move objects with my mind, just like
Piper and Phoebe said you used to be able to do, but it works
differently with me."
"How?" asked Prue.
"It's pretty simple," said Paige, holding out her hand. "I just
hold out my hand, like this, and sort of call to something. Like that
locket you're wearing."
Suddenly, the locket flashed and appeared in Paige's hand.
"Whoa," said Paige. "How did that happen? I mean, if we're
spirits, this shouldn't even be real. And if it's not real, how can I
move it like that?"
"After I died," said Prue, "I was told that I could keep a sort
of copy of it. It would only exist in spirit form. It wasn't real.
The Elders knew how much it meant to me and said it was a sort of
reward for everything I had done.
"But that's not the amazing thing. What interests me is that
you were able to move it with your mind. You said that was one of
your Charmed powers. So you should have lost it when you died. Just
as I did. The question is, why didn't you?"
"Because I'm not dead," said Paige. "I'm not sure exactly what
happened that put me here, but I must not have died. Even though my
soul left my body, I didn't die. This is all very confusing."
"Maybe," said Prue. "But if you still have your powers, then
Piper and Phoebe must still have theirs. Which means that whatever it
was that you were doing when you were brought here, they still have a
chance to complete it. And you might be able to return to your body."
"That makes sense," said Paige. "And if I can go back, so can a
lot of the others who are trapped here with us. You said they were
brought here out of their bodies, just as I was. Which means they
didn't die either."
"Okay," said Prue, "tell me everything you remember about what
happened before you arrived here. Don't leave out anything, no matter
how insignificant it seems. Maybe, just maybe, we can figure a way
out of this."
"What about you?" asked Paige. "What about getting you out?
You died. I'm not sure it would be possible to return you to your
body. Or that we should even try if we can."
"That's not important right now," said Prue. "We have to figure
a way to get you out of here. And the other innocents that are
trapped here with us. Now, exactly what were the three of you working
on and exactly what happened to you before you appeared here?"
"It all started when I saw you . . . that is, your body, with a
voodoo priestess named Santerra," began Paige.
"You're my half sister?" questioned Prue. "I don't understand."
"After our mother and her White Lighter left," said Paige, "I
was born a couple of years later. They were afraid that if the Elders
found out about me, they might try to do something. I'm not real
clear on what they were afraid of, but they were.
"Anyway, they decided to give me up for adoption. To protect
me. My foster parents adopted me and for most of my life I had no
idea where I came from. After you died, I was magically summoned to
your funeral. As I said, that's where I met Piper and Phoebe."
"And the Power of Three was restored through you?" asked Prue.
"Yes," said Paige. "We read the same incantation from the Book
of Shadows that Phoebe first read four years ago and, voila, instant
Power of Three."
"So you got my powers," interjected Prue. "I lost them after I
died. I assumed they were lost forever."
"Not exactly," said Paige. "I did sort of inherit your
telekinesis ability. But it works differently with me. Maybe it's
because I'm half White Lighter or maybe it's because I'm a different
person, I don't know. I can move objects with my mind, just like
Piper and Phoebe said you used to be able to do, but it works
differently with me."
"How?" asked Prue.
"It's pretty simple," said Paige, holding out her hand. "I just
hold out my hand, like this, and sort of call to something. Like that
locket you're wearing."
Suddenly, the locket flashed and appeared in Paige's hand.
"Whoa," said Paige. "How did that happen? I mean, if we're
spirits, this shouldn't even be real. And if it's not real, how can I
move it like that?"
"After I died," said Prue, "I was told that I could keep a sort
of copy of it. It would only exist in spirit form. It wasn't real.
The Elders knew how much it meant to me and said it was a sort of
reward for everything I had done.
"But that's not the amazing thing. What interests me is that
you were able to move it with your mind. You said that was one of
your Charmed powers. So you should have lost it when you died. Just
as I did. The question is, why didn't you?"
"Because I'm not dead," said Paige. "I'm not sure exactly what
happened that put me here, but I must not have died. Even though my
soul left my body, I didn't die. This is all very confusing."
"Maybe," said Prue. "But if you still have your powers, then
Piper and Phoebe must still have theirs. Which means that whatever it
was that you were doing when you were brought here, they still have a
chance to complete it. And you might be able to return to your body."
"That makes sense," said Paige. "And if I can go back, so can a
lot of the others who are trapped here with us. You said they were
brought here out of their bodies, just as I was. Which means they
didn't die either."
"Okay," said Prue, "tell me everything you remember about what
happened before you arrived here. Don't leave out anything, no matter
how insignificant it seems. Maybe, just maybe, we can figure a way
out of this."
"What about you?" asked Paige. "What about getting you out?
You died. I'm not sure it would be possible to return you to your
body. Or that we should even try if we can."
"That's not important right now," said Prue. "We have to figure
a way to get you out of here. And the other innocents that are
trapped here with us. Now, exactly what were the three of you working
on and exactly what happened to you before you appeared here?"
"It all started when I saw you . . . that is, your body, with a
voodoo priestess named Santerra," began Paige.