Twice Charmed
(This is the first episode in a new series that will continue the plotline begun in "Lineage." The timeline for this first episode is approximately 2031, twenty five years after the events of "The Importance of Being Human." For clarification, the main characters, including some characters I introduced in my first series, are Prudence Melinda Halliwell, daughter of Michael and Phoebe; Penelope Anne Halliwell, daughter of Leo and Piper; and Patricia Elizabeth Matthews, daughter of Glenn and Paige.)
CHAPTER 1: The Power of Three
Two figures stood atop the Empire State Building, admiring the view from a structure that had become a cornerstone of human achievement. One locked brown eyes to the horizon, as though trying to search for an answer to questions that had been plaguing him for a generation. The other turned blue eyes down to the city below, thinking to the hard road ahead.
Michael Smith sighed heavily, the burden of his calling weighing heavily upon him. "It's time," he said in a voice barely above a whisper.
Cole Turner faced his cousin, his expression impassive. "Yes, indeed it is," he replied.
"I still wish this didn't have to happen," Michael said. "I can't bear the thought of seeing history repeat itself, not like that..."
"It isn't your fault, Michael, or mine," Cole said gravely. "We had no way of knowing, considering the projected futures we'd been shone. And this time, we'll make sure that such a catastrophe cannot happen again."
Michael nodded in acquiescence. "So it must be," he said in a stronger voice. "The mantle of the Charmed Ones shall rise once more, ever vigilant, and ready to combat the forces of darkness."
****
"Paging Dr. Halliwell, you have a phone call...paging Dr. Halliwell, you have a phone call..."
Prudence Melinda Halliwell looked up from her microscope with relief. She'd been sitting here for hours, watching for any sign that the new experimental serum was having some kind of effect on the virus, but no apparent effect was visible.
As she walked down the hall from the Microbiology Lab down to one of the receptionists' posts, Prue remarked on how much she enjoyed her work, despite the long hours. As far back as she could remember, Prue had always been interested in medicine. Finding ways to cure disease, to heal people, was something that Prue felt she'd been born for. For a moment, a memory from a childhood long gone surfaced, of playing doctor with her dolls and...Prue squashed the memory before the pain it was sure to carry along was able to rise.
"Good evening, Dr. Halliwell," said the receptionist, handing her the phone.
"Thank you, Grace," said Prue as she accepted the phone. "Dr. Halliwell speaking," she said into the receiver.
"Dr. Halliwell, this is Ben Belthzor. I'm an attorney with the law firm Jackman, Carter, and Kline," said a male voice on the other end.
"I hope your client isn't planning to sue for malpractice," Prue said with a slight chuckle.
The man laughed heartily. "On the contrary, Dr. Halliwell," he continued. "In fact, the reason why I'm calling isn't medically related at all. I'm calling in regards to a property located at 1329 Prescott Street."
Prue's throat tightened painfully for a moment. "What about it?" she asked in a carefully controlled voice.
"Well," the man continued, "I have legal documents that cede one-third of the property to you. The other two-thirds are to be ceded to your cousins, Penelope Anne Halliwell and Patricia Elizabeth Matthews."
"Um, who signed the documents?" Prue asked.
"Let me see here...ah, yes. The documents were signed by a Michael Smith...your father, if my notes here are correct," said the man.
Prue had gripped the countertop so tightly that her knuckles had whitened. She fought to control the anger inside as she asked, "When were these documents prepared?"
"Actually, that's one of the interesting things about this," the attorney continued. "The documents were drawn up almost fifteen years ago."
Prue took several deep breaths in an effort to calm down. Thinking about her childhood was always painful, but thinking of her father was the worst, because the most clear memories – and most painful memories – seemed to be linked to him. For reasons she couldn't even fathom or remember, she and her two cousins were given over to the care of the State of California when she was twelve. The resentment over a seemingly abrupt abandonment had not faded in those years.
Prue hadn't realized she'd drifted off until she heard the voice on the other end of the phone saying, "Dr. Halliwell, are you still there?"
"Yes, I'm sorry," she apologized. "I was distracted. What were you saying?"
"I was just saying that you don't have to sign anything. All the papers have already been processed. The only thing I need to know is if and when you'll be taking official residence in the Manor. There's a caretaker who's been maintaining the place since your father left, and I just need to let him know when you'll be coming," the attorney explained.
Prue swallowed nervously. She wondered why her past suddenly had to catch up with her like this. Whatever the reason, it was a chance to finally find out why her father had cut her out of his life the way he did. She replied, "I'll need to talk to my cousins first, as I'm sure that they'll want to be with me when I go there."
"I understand perfectly," the attorney said. "My number is 555-9032 extension 890."
"Ok, got it," confirmed Prue. "Thank you for your call, Mr. Belthzor. Good night," she said.
****
Miles across town, Cole Turner said, "Good night, Dr. Halliwell," as he hung up the phone.
****
As Penelope Anne Halliwell got out of her car and looked at the old Victorian style house, she reflected how ironic it seemed to be back here. Like her mother before her, Penny had inherited excellent culinary skills, only she never once swayed from her chosen profession. Her education had taken her on a scholarship to the best French cooking schools in Paris, and her recipes had started to attract major attention. Yet, all it took was one phone call, and Penny felt herself inexplicably drawn back to the house where she'd spent the better part of ten years.
She spotted her younger cousin, Patricia Elizabeth Matthews, parking her car just up the street. Being the youngest of the three, Patti's memories of this place were not quite as clear, but it seemed that she too had been drawn to some of the same interests as her mother. Although quite a good painter in her own right, Patti had chosen to follow her mother's other artistic talent and become a singer. Despite the fact that her career had yet to take off, she worked the clubs and earned her keep, hoping to be able to record someday.
As the cousins spotted each other, they broke into broad grins. Penny and Patti embraced warmly. "It's so good to see you," said Penny.
"You, too," replied Patti. "It's been so long..."
"Nine years, give or take," said another voice. Both girls turned to see Prue standing on the front steps. She smiled as her younger cousins rushed up the path to give her big hugs. "Easy, I'm only human," she said as they squeezed her a little too tight.
"We just missed you so much," said Penny.
"Like I could miss our 'Fearless Leader,'" Patti joked. Penny and Prue giggled. As teenagers, the three had shared many interesting times together, and Prue, as the oldest, had of course assumed the leading position in whatever they did. "So, are we going to stand out here all day?" she quipped.
"You know, it's strange," said Penny. "All these years, and suddenly, we find out that Uncle Michael left us the Manor. What do you think is going on?"
"I don't know," Prue said distantly, "but I intend to find out."
****
Zack Malone looked around the foyer of the Manor and smiled at his work. He'd worked as quickly as possible to get the Manor ready for its new inhabitants, and it looked better than it had in years.
A knock on the front door altered him to their arrival. Zack quickly went to the front door and opened it...and froze in absolute shock.
Staring up at him was the most beautiful face he'd ever seen. In his view, the face was a work of art, with smooth cheeks, hazel eyes, and light brown hair. The girl seemed amused by his evident staring, and emitted a small giggle.
Zack shook himself, remembering his role here. "Welcome home, ladies," he said. "I'm Zack Malone, the caretaker."
"I'm Penny," the hazel-eyed girl introduced herself. "This is my older cousin Prue, and my younger cousin, Patti," she added.
"It's very nice to meet all of you," said Zack. "Come on in." He moved out of the way so that the girls could enter.
As Prue looked around, she felt goosebumps rising on her skin. Being back in this place after so many years stirred the unpleasantness she'd tried to move past so long ago back to the surface. Her chocolate eyes found a group of pictures on the wall. In one she saw her mother and Aunt Piper, and her Aunt Prue, her namesake, whom she'd never had the pleasure of meeting. She saw strength in those blue eyes, strength she found reflected in her own. She moved on to another, and her breath caught in her throat. It was a picture of her mother and father from their wedding. Prue felt tears trickling down her cheeks. They both looked so happy together. What had gone wrong? Why had her mother and aunts just seemingly vanished? Try as she might, Prue nor her cousins could remember anything from that dark time.
Penny came up behind Prue and put her arms on her shoulders. "You ok?" she asked.
Prue wiped her eyes. "I'll be ok," she said. "I guess being back here will take some getting used to."
"I'm sure you guys don't need it," Zack said, "but do you need a tour?"
"No," said Patti. "I think we remember this place well enough."
"Ok, then," Zack said. "I'll leave you girls alone, then. I have to get back to my apartment. I'll be back tomorrow, so I'll see you then," he said as he walked to the front door.
"Bye, Zack," said Penny.
Zack looked back and smiled at her. "Bye, Penny," he replied as he shut the door.
Prue and Patti giggled. "See something you like, cousin?" Patti asked.
"Oh, yeah..." said Penny dreamily.
Prue burst out laughing. Some things never changed. "Come on," she said. "Let's take a look around."
The girls split up into different directions. Penny navigated right into the kitchen, and was pleased to find the pantry fully stocked. There would definitely be some cooking going on tonight.
Patti had found her way into her mother's room, where many of her paintings were still hanging. She ran her hands over the canvas, feeling the texture of the brushstrokes.
Meanwhile, Prue had found her way up to the attic. A vague memory came to mind. She could see her mother and aunts, and they were saying something. A monstrous form of some sort was standing across from them, growling. As they finished speaking, the monster seemed to howl in pain, and suddenly burst into flames. Prue shook her head, trying to figure out what it meant. Her curiosity got the better of her, and she opened the attic door.
Inside, she found the expected old junk that one tends to find in an attic. However, there were other things that seemed a little out of the ordinary. On one table, there were various jars of herbs, and small vials filled with a multitude of colored liquids. She found her eyes drawn to a pedestal that faced opposite the window. A cloth was covering something resting on it. Prue walked over and carefully removed the cloth to reveal a book.
It was unlike any book she'd ever seen before. It was very thick, and the paper seemed of a type not used in several hundred years. A symbol of three rings intersecting, bound by a circle, was imprinted on the top. Slowly, reverently, Prue opened the book to the first page.
Book of Shadows.
Prue stared down at the page with a strange feeling in her stomach. What was this thing? She turned to the next page. As she read silently through it, her eyes widened with shock.
It was a spell.
The implications of what this meant were mind boggling, yet at the same time seemed to make sense on an unconscious level.
"Um...GUYS?" she yelled down the stairs. Penny and Patti ran into the attic.
"What is it?" Penny asked curiously. As Prue showed her the Book, her eyes grew huge. "Unreal," she breathed.
"Why do you think this is here?" Patti asked.
"I wish I knew," Prue said. "Hey...do you think I should read it?" she added with a small grin.
Penny and Patti looked at each other and smiled. "Why not?" said Penny. "Go ahead, just for fun."
Prue smiled at her cousins, and then read the spell out loud.
Hear now the words of
the witches, the secrets we hid in the night.
The oldest of gods are invoked here; the great work of magic is sought.
In this night, and in this hour, I call upon the ancient power.
Bring your powers to we
cousins three; we want the power, give us the power.
As Prue finished reading the spell, she felt something changing in her. Energy of some kind was coursing through her, and it felt strange and familiar all at the same time. Looking at the shocked expressions on her cousins' faces, she knew that they must have felt it too.
"Did you guys..." she started but trailed off as they nodded.
"Do you think...that was for real?" Penny almost whispered.
Prue swallowed nervously. She couldn't bring herself to answer that question, because once she did, there would be no turning back. Things would never be the same again.
****
Michael Smith looked up and sighed. "It's begun," he said.
TO BE CONTINUED...