Part Three.
Five years earlier..
"There's definitely something strange going on," Piper Halliwell said to her youngest sister Paige Matthews as the pair sat in the conservatory drinking iced tea and discussing the latest demon effects. The blonde raised one eyebrow and set her glass down on the table.
"Don't you think you're overreacting a little? I mean, you say you have this feeling - but I haven't, and Phoebe would have had a premonition by now."
"I know, but - I can sense it, all the time. It was weak at first, but now." Piper shuddered. "I keep getting this chill."
"Maybe you should put on a sweater." Paige joked.
"I'm serious, Paige." Piper exclaimed. "It's not a cold sort of chill. More like - a scared chill. But I don't know what I'm afraid of." She brushed a lock of brown hair behind her ear. "I've heard the saying 'smell danger' but I never believed it. But now - it's not so much smelling danger, but sensing it. I know something bad is going to happen. I just know it."
"Hey, you're not the psychic one in the family, quit doing my job." Phoebe said cheerily, coming in to join her two sisters. She sat down next to Paige and stared at Piper in concern. "Honey, are you okay?"
"Yeah. I guess." Piper looked down. She didn't like the feeling, and the fact that her sisters weren't taking her seriously just made her feel even worse. She didn't know how to explain it, or tell them that she thought they could be in serious danger - a danger that they had never been in before.
"She thinks that something strange is going on. I've not noticed anything. You?" Paige asked Phoebe, as if Piper weren't even in the room.
"Nope." Phoebe got up and gave her older sister a hug. "It's probably hormones or something, sweetie, don't worry."
Piper gave up trying, but she knew that it wasn't just hormones. It had to be something more. Hormones had never made her feel the way she did. If only Phoebe had a premonition, or they were given a sign - maybe Paige and Phoebe would believe her. Piper waited hopefully, but got nothing. Sighing heavily, she got to her feet and picked up the two empty glasses. "I'm going to pick Wyatt up from school." She said glumly, trudging out the room. Paige glanced at Phoebe worriedly.
"She's taking this really strangely. I don't understand."
"Maybe she's overreacting, but I don't think that we should joke so much." Phoebe agreed. She shivered suddenly, and Paige looked surprised.
"You've a chill as well?"
"No, not a chill." Phoebe looked around with a frown. "More like a gust of cold wind. But it's boiling hot and there's not even a breeze outside."
"I never felt a wind." It was Paige's turn to look glum. "Maybe it's something wrong with me. Maybe my witch instincts are screwed up."
"Don't be silly." Phoebe said heartily, but she felt a prick of anxiety. Piper felt something that her two younger sisters didn't, and she didn't appreciate Paige and Phoebe making fun of her. What was going on?
"Well." Paige scrambled to her feet. "I'm going to go and see, anyhow."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, Book of Shadows. There's got to be something in there about Piper's 'sense' and your 'cold wind' and my - well, lack of everything." Paige rolled her eyes and stomped out of the conservatory. Phoebe tried not to smile. Sometimes her half-sister got way too sensitive.
"Are you coming with me to pick up Wyatt?" Piper put her head into the room. Phoebe glanced at her watch, then stood up.
"Yeah, might as well. I've got nothing else to do. No date. And it's Friday. Horrifying."
In the car on the way over to the junior high school, Phoebe asked Piper about what had happened between her and Paige in the conservatory before Phoebe herself had come in.
"Nothing much. It's just, I've been having these weird feelings that danger is near. And something bad is going to happen. Paige thought I was being paranoid, and that you would have had a premonition by now if something was going to happen."
"Which is true." Phoebe agreed. "But normally I have to touch something associated with whatever's happening before I get a premonition, so you never know."
"I guess." Piper pulled into a parking spot in the car park and the sisters waited as the children began pouring out into the courtyard. "Phoebs - do you think I'm overreacting?"
"I don't know." Phoebe said honestly. She told Piper of the cold wind that had swept through the conservatory fifteen minutes before. "I think that we may have a ghost."
"Ghost?"
"Yeah. I mean, I've read all about them. They sometimes pass through bodies, making the people they're passing through get funny feelings, which is what you might be getting. And that would explain the cold wind."
"It just doesn't fit together. Ghosts usually park with the house they haunt from the moment they died, right? So if it was a ghost, then wouldn't we would have had this before? I don't remember anyone dying in the house recently anyways." Piper grinned at her son, forgetting her woes for a second as he gave her a cheerful, toothy smile back. "Hi, honey! How was school?"
"Good." Wyatt said, tugging at his aunt's ponytail. "Hey, Aunt Phoebe, will you help me with some homework later?"
"Don't you want me to help?" Piper asked, insulted. Wyatt shook his head.
"No. You're too busy. I know you've got those people down the club tonight. It's okay, Mom, Aunt Phoebe will help, right?"
"Sure, sweetie." Phoebe gave Piper an apologetic glance.
Wyatt settled back in his seat, a cruel smile slipping over his lips.
Five years earlier..
"There's definitely something strange going on," Piper Halliwell said to her youngest sister Paige Matthews as the pair sat in the conservatory drinking iced tea and discussing the latest demon effects. The blonde raised one eyebrow and set her glass down on the table.
"Don't you think you're overreacting a little? I mean, you say you have this feeling - but I haven't, and Phoebe would have had a premonition by now."
"I know, but - I can sense it, all the time. It was weak at first, but now." Piper shuddered. "I keep getting this chill."
"Maybe you should put on a sweater." Paige joked.
"I'm serious, Paige." Piper exclaimed. "It's not a cold sort of chill. More like - a scared chill. But I don't know what I'm afraid of." She brushed a lock of brown hair behind her ear. "I've heard the saying 'smell danger' but I never believed it. But now - it's not so much smelling danger, but sensing it. I know something bad is going to happen. I just know it."
"Hey, you're not the psychic one in the family, quit doing my job." Phoebe said cheerily, coming in to join her two sisters. She sat down next to Paige and stared at Piper in concern. "Honey, are you okay?"
"Yeah. I guess." Piper looked down. She didn't like the feeling, and the fact that her sisters weren't taking her seriously just made her feel even worse. She didn't know how to explain it, or tell them that she thought they could be in serious danger - a danger that they had never been in before.
"She thinks that something strange is going on. I've not noticed anything. You?" Paige asked Phoebe, as if Piper weren't even in the room.
"Nope." Phoebe got up and gave her older sister a hug. "It's probably hormones or something, sweetie, don't worry."
Piper gave up trying, but she knew that it wasn't just hormones. It had to be something more. Hormones had never made her feel the way she did. If only Phoebe had a premonition, or they were given a sign - maybe Paige and Phoebe would believe her. Piper waited hopefully, but got nothing. Sighing heavily, she got to her feet and picked up the two empty glasses. "I'm going to pick Wyatt up from school." She said glumly, trudging out the room. Paige glanced at Phoebe worriedly.
"She's taking this really strangely. I don't understand."
"Maybe she's overreacting, but I don't think that we should joke so much." Phoebe agreed. She shivered suddenly, and Paige looked surprised.
"You've a chill as well?"
"No, not a chill." Phoebe looked around with a frown. "More like a gust of cold wind. But it's boiling hot and there's not even a breeze outside."
"I never felt a wind." It was Paige's turn to look glum. "Maybe it's something wrong with me. Maybe my witch instincts are screwed up."
"Don't be silly." Phoebe said heartily, but she felt a prick of anxiety. Piper felt something that her two younger sisters didn't, and she didn't appreciate Paige and Phoebe making fun of her. What was going on?
"Well." Paige scrambled to her feet. "I'm going to go and see, anyhow."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, Book of Shadows. There's got to be something in there about Piper's 'sense' and your 'cold wind' and my - well, lack of everything." Paige rolled her eyes and stomped out of the conservatory. Phoebe tried not to smile. Sometimes her half-sister got way too sensitive.
"Are you coming with me to pick up Wyatt?" Piper put her head into the room. Phoebe glanced at her watch, then stood up.
"Yeah, might as well. I've got nothing else to do. No date. And it's Friday. Horrifying."
In the car on the way over to the junior high school, Phoebe asked Piper about what had happened between her and Paige in the conservatory before Phoebe herself had come in.
"Nothing much. It's just, I've been having these weird feelings that danger is near. And something bad is going to happen. Paige thought I was being paranoid, and that you would have had a premonition by now if something was going to happen."
"Which is true." Phoebe agreed. "But normally I have to touch something associated with whatever's happening before I get a premonition, so you never know."
"I guess." Piper pulled into a parking spot in the car park and the sisters waited as the children began pouring out into the courtyard. "Phoebs - do you think I'm overreacting?"
"I don't know." Phoebe said honestly. She told Piper of the cold wind that had swept through the conservatory fifteen minutes before. "I think that we may have a ghost."
"Ghost?"
"Yeah. I mean, I've read all about them. They sometimes pass through bodies, making the people they're passing through get funny feelings, which is what you might be getting. And that would explain the cold wind."
"It just doesn't fit together. Ghosts usually park with the house they haunt from the moment they died, right? So if it was a ghost, then wouldn't we would have had this before? I don't remember anyone dying in the house recently anyways." Piper grinned at her son, forgetting her woes for a second as he gave her a cheerful, toothy smile back. "Hi, honey! How was school?"
"Good." Wyatt said, tugging at his aunt's ponytail. "Hey, Aunt Phoebe, will you help me with some homework later?"
"Don't you want me to help?" Piper asked, insulted. Wyatt shook his head.
"No. You're too busy. I know you've got those people down the club tonight. It's okay, Mom, Aunt Phoebe will help, right?"
"Sure, sweetie." Phoebe gave Piper an apologetic glance.
Wyatt settled back in his seat, a cruel smile slipping over his lips.