Molly hid in the woods, crouched behind a big oak tree, until well after midnight. She knew it had to be after twelve, she could hear the television blasting, even from across the street. She shivered. Now what time was it? Had to be at least 12:30. By then, she figured it was safe to go back into the house. She was right. As she expected, the old man was passed out on the living room couch when she walked in.
Rolling her eyes, Molly crept silently upstairs to her bedroom. Checking to make sure the door was locked, she went over to her dresser and pulled out a small wooden jewelry box. Inside this box was the only thing Molly owned that she really gave a damn about. The amulet her mother had given her for her thirteenth birthday, two years ago. Only days after that, Molly's family had died, and, it seemed, the whole world had gone to hell. But on Molly's birthday, things had been good.
Just think about that, Molly told herself. Think about when things were good. She took the amulet out of the box, and, clutching it, rocked herself, smiling at the memories even as she cried herself to sleep.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Oh!"
Piper gasped as she woke up, and sat up, clutching her chest. That poor little girl... It had seemed so real.
It was real.
The realization hit her with a shock. At first, she tried to dismiss it, but the more she tried to convince herself that it was nothing more than a bad dream, the more she was positive that it was something greater.
She looked over to the empty spot on the bed next to her. Leo was gone, probably with a charge. There was only one other thing she could think of to do.
She got up, pulled on a robe, and went downstairs to look for her sisters.
She found them sitting at the kitchen table, eating breakfast.
"Hey, sweetie, what's wrong?" Paige asked upon seeing Piper's expression.
Piper pulled up a chair in between her younger sisters, and told them about her recurring nightmare. "I know it sounds crazy, but I'm telling you, this isn't just a dream." she finished.
"Did you ask Leo about it?" Phoebe asked.
"Sort of..." Piper said. "I told him about it a few weeks ago, when it started, but up until this morning i thought it was just a bad dream, so we didn't really think to much about it."
"Okay, well maybe you should call him." Phoebe said.
Piper nodded. "Leo! LEO!"
Her husband/whitelighter orbed into the kitchen, looking worried. "What is it, what's wrong?"
"Remember the dream I had last night? And the ones I've been having? I think they were more than your average nightmare." Piper said, going on to explain the feeilng, almost an instinct, that she'd had when she woke up from the latest one. "I think Molly's an innocent. Whoever she is, I know she's real, and she's in trouble."
"I'll check with the Elders." Leo said. He waasn't sure what to make of this, but the concerned, scared look on his wife's face told him he needed to take this seriously, for her sake if not for an innocent girl who may or may not exist. He orbed out, leaving Piper with her sisters.
"Maybe we should check the Book of Shadows?" Paige suggested, for lack of a better plan. Her sisters agreed, and they ran up to the attic.
Half an hour later, Paige and Phoebe were flipping through the book, and Piper was sitting on the couch with a map in front of her, holding a crystal over it.
"You aren't going to find her by scrying." Leo said as he orbed into the attic.
"What did they say?" Piper asked anxiously.
Leo sat down next to his wife and put his arms around her, motioning for Phoebe and Paige to come listen. They sat on Piper's other side as Leo repeated what he'd heard Up There.
"They think that your dream is actually a vision, of something that's going to happen in the future." he said.
"Hey, that's my power." Phoebe joked.
Piper looked at Leo. "Phoebe's right, she's supposed to be the one with premonitions. Why am I getting them?"
"The Elders didn't know. Maybe it has something to do with your own future, or directly affects you?" he guessed.
Piper shook her head. "That's impossible. I didn't recognise anyone from the dream."
"So what do we do?" Paige asked.
"The Elders don't know that there's anything we can do." Leo said. "Piper's dreams have been pretty vague. If we don't know when or where this is happening, how are we supposed to find the girl?"
"There has to be something." Piper said, getting up.
"Where are you going?" Paige called after her.
"To write a spell." Piper replied. She went back to her room and sat down on the bed, where she'd been getting the visions, if that was what they were. She reached over to the nightstand and pulled a pen and pad out from the drawer. Then, she sat down to write.
It only took a few minutes. It was as if something was guiding her, telling her what words to write down on the paper. When she was finished, Piper read the spell aloud.
"Unforseen future that lies in wait
Open for me time's locked gate
Take me to the one I must protect
Don't let me lose this innocent"
Leo, Phoebe, and Paige came in just as Piper was reciting the last line. They huddled around her as a bright light filled the room, and the floor seemed to tilt.They felt themselves falling, and then everything went black.
Rolling her eyes, Molly crept silently upstairs to her bedroom. Checking to make sure the door was locked, she went over to her dresser and pulled out a small wooden jewelry box. Inside this box was the only thing Molly owned that she really gave a damn about. The amulet her mother had given her for her thirteenth birthday, two years ago. Only days after that, Molly's family had died, and, it seemed, the whole world had gone to hell. But on Molly's birthday, things had been good.
Just think about that, Molly told herself. Think about when things were good. She took the amulet out of the box, and, clutching it, rocked herself, smiling at the memories even as she cried herself to sleep.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Oh!"
Piper gasped as she woke up, and sat up, clutching her chest. That poor little girl... It had seemed so real.
It was real.
The realization hit her with a shock. At first, she tried to dismiss it, but the more she tried to convince herself that it was nothing more than a bad dream, the more she was positive that it was something greater.
She looked over to the empty spot on the bed next to her. Leo was gone, probably with a charge. There was only one other thing she could think of to do.
She got up, pulled on a robe, and went downstairs to look for her sisters.
She found them sitting at the kitchen table, eating breakfast.
"Hey, sweetie, what's wrong?" Paige asked upon seeing Piper's expression.
Piper pulled up a chair in between her younger sisters, and told them about her recurring nightmare. "I know it sounds crazy, but I'm telling you, this isn't just a dream." she finished.
"Did you ask Leo about it?" Phoebe asked.
"Sort of..." Piper said. "I told him about it a few weeks ago, when it started, but up until this morning i thought it was just a bad dream, so we didn't really think to much about it."
"Okay, well maybe you should call him." Phoebe said.
Piper nodded. "Leo! LEO!"
Her husband/whitelighter orbed into the kitchen, looking worried. "What is it, what's wrong?"
"Remember the dream I had last night? And the ones I've been having? I think they were more than your average nightmare." Piper said, going on to explain the feeilng, almost an instinct, that she'd had when she woke up from the latest one. "I think Molly's an innocent. Whoever she is, I know she's real, and she's in trouble."
"I'll check with the Elders." Leo said. He waasn't sure what to make of this, but the concerned, scared look on his wife's face told him he needed to take this seriously, for her sake if not for an innocent girl who may or may not exist. He orbed out, leaving Piper with her sisters.
"Maybe we should check the Book of Shadows?" Paige suggested, for lack of a better plan. Her sisters agreed, and they ran up to the attic.
Half an hour later, Paige and Phoebe were flipping through the book, and Piper was sitting on the couch with a map in front of her, holding a crystal over it.
"You aren't going to find her by scrying." Leo said as he orbed into the attic.
"What did they say?" Piper asked anxiously.
Leo sat down next to his wife and put his arms around her, motioning for Phoebe and Paige to come listen. They sat on Piper's other side as Leo repeated what he'd heard Up There.
"They think that your dream is actually a vision, of something that's going to happen in the future." he said.
"Hey, that's my power." Phoebe joked.
Piper looked at Leo. "Phoebe's right, she's supposed to be the one with premonitions. Why am I getting them?"
"The Elders didn't know. Maybe it has something to do with your own future, or directly affects you?" he guessed.
Piper shook her head. "That's impossible. I didn't recognise anyone from the dream."
"So what do we do?" Paige asked.
"The Elders don't know that there's anything we can do." Leo said. "Piper's dreams have been pretty vague. If we don't know when or where this is happening, how are we supposed to find the girl?"
"There has to be something." Piper said, getting up.
"Where are you going?" Paige called after her.
"To write a spell." Piper replied. She went back to her room and sat down on the bed, where she'd been getting the visions, if that was what they were. She reached over to the nightstand and pulled a pen and pad out from the drawer. Then, she sat down to write.
It only took a few minutes. It was as if something was guiding her, telling her what words to write down on the paper. When she was finished, Piper read the spell aloud.
"Unforseen future that lies in wait
Open for me time's locked gate
Take me to the one I must protect
Don't let me lose this innocent"
Leo, Phoebe, and Paige came in just as Piper was reciting the last line. They huddled around her as a bright light filled the room, and the floor seemed to tilt.They felt themselves falling, and then everything went black.