I have returned.
Words can't express my guilt about leaving this story hanging for so long, but I have a reallllly good excuse.
My first novel was just published! It's called A HAUNTING MELODY and guess who I used for the lead? Yeah you guessed it. Julian McMahon. He plays the part of a 19th century riverboat captain, Daniel Cole. Come check it out at my website at www.tpacelli.com. If you're interested, here's a quick little synopsis of my supernatural romance and mystery novel, A Haunting Melody.
A Haunting Melody is about a 19th century riverboat captain, Daniel Cole, whose affair with a married feminist turns tragic when his riverboat, the "Melody," mysteriously sinks with all hands lost.
In 2003, Captain Cole's ghost haunts the renovated "Melody," now owned by a widow who bears a remarkable resemblance to the woman he once loved. Together they solve the mystery surrounding his death.
I mailed a copy of the novel to Julian's agent, and I'll let you know when I hear something.
And now....on with the story
******************
"The Dream"
Vector's father sat on a throne-like chair in his gothic chamber that resided in a pit of an inactive volcano. His forehead throbbed at the sight of a scrumptious meal standing before him in the form of Phoebe Halliwell.
"Bring her to me, Vector," his father ordered in a silky voice.
Against her will, Phoebe was shoved in front of his father's greedy eyes.
"You've done well, my son. This witch is more powerful than anyone I've ever encountered before. The enormous energy of her powers coupled with the force of her conflict is great enough to make me the next Source. I underestimated you, Vector. Frankly I didn't think you could pull this off, but you have, and you will be rewarded when I take my rightful place as the next Source.
"I knew you'd be pleased, father. She was a pretty big fish to reel in all by myself, but now I've proven to you once and for all my worthiness,
Phoebe struggled to break free of Vector's hold putting all of her witch's strength into one large kicking thrust that shot a foot into Vector's head and sent him flying backward. Phoebe didn't know she could kick that hard or that high for that matter. This was no time to stop and admire herself, though, she mused. What she needed was to escape and escape fast. Phoebe turned to run and was levitated into the air. She, however, was not the one doing the levitating. Vector's father had released the vacuum from his forehead and the force of the air had catapulted her nearly to the ceiling like a tornado and was quickly pulling her inside the opening that loomed before her. Phoebe could hardly breathe, but her head screamed "No, this can't be my time to go." She could feel the veil between the living and the dead growing thinner, and Phoebe thought for a moment she caught a glimpse of Pru smiling at her when suddenly that image faded, her vision failed, and she felt the falling. "Is this how death feels?" she wondered just before passing out.
When Phoebe opened her eyes she was lying on the couch in her living-room with Paige, Piper and Leo surrounding her. But there was no sign of Cole.
"How are you feeling?" Leo asked.
"Not good, considering all we've just been through with those demons."
"What demons?" Piper asked.
"Very funny, Piper, but really I'm not much in a laughing mood after being sucked up by Hoover's largest vacuum cleaner."
"What is she talking about?" Paige asked, cocking her head in confusion.
"What are you talking about?" Phoebe asked, clearly not amused. "You had to have been there, guys, or I wouldn't be here, right? Or was it Cole who saved me and brought me home?"
"Cole? Phoebe, Cole's dead. You vanquished him yourself months ago. Don't you remember?" Paige asked.
"No, he came back. I brought him back...we brought him back. Why don't you remember this?"
"Whoa, that bump on your head was even worse than we thought. Leo, maybe you should check Phoebe out again."
"I don't need Leo's healing. I need to know what happened to the demons?"
"Okay, Phoebe, what year is this and who is the President?" Paige asked.
"Are you telling me this whole thing I experienced was just a dream?"
Paige and Piper nodded.
"None of it happened?"
They shook their heads no.
"And Cole never did come back from the Wasteland?"
"I think she's starting to get it," Paige said. "How do you feel now, Phoebe?"
"Like I've just come from the land of Oz."
"Really? Sounds cool," Paige said.
"Wow, it seemed so real and you were in it Paige and you Piper, and Cole, but not you, Leo. Sorry."
"Aah ha. Well, the nightmare's over, Phoebe," Piper sighed. "And I'm afraid you're stuck with boring old reality."
"But how did I end up on this couch, and where did this headache come from?"
"You had a nasty bump on the head courtesy of an earthquake that blew a beam down from the ceiling. We were really worried about you. But, now it looks like you're going to be just fine. So, why don't you just forget about that nasty dream you had and I'll make you a nice mug of hot chocolate with those little marshmallows you like. How does that sound?" Piper asked.
Phoebe looked up at the ceiling and did indeed see a beam missing.
"Okay, I'm convinced," Phoebe said shaking her head. She couldn't believe that all this stuff about Cole's detective agency and saving Mark and the demon of innocence was all just a by-product of a silly bump on her head, though she always did have a pretty fantastic imagination, she had to admit. Boy, she was lucky that beam didn't kill her. She guessed it just wasn't her time to go.
"So, what movie should I go rent for us tonite?" Piper asked.
"Not my time to go...not my time..." Phoebe said out loud, echoing something she remembered from her dream. She stared intently at her sisters, letting a force that was now a part of her, divine the truth.
"What is it Phoebe? Something wrong?" Paige asked.
"Yes something's wrong, and it isn't with me. You guys are lying. I almost forgot my empathic power till now."
"Paige, Piper, I told you guys this wouldn't work," Leo said.
"Well, it was worth a try," Piper said, feeling the defeat of a good plan.
"It wasn't a dream was it? It happened, all of it. Mark, the demons, the detective agency and...Cole! Where is Cole?"
"Now Phoebe, don't get yourself all excited. What happened was really all for the best," Piper argued.
"What was for the best? What is it I don't know? The last thing I remember was that demon of innocence had me in his vacuum and then suddenly I was falling. Then I woke up here. How did I get here?"
"We saved you, that's how," Paige said.
"Actually it was Cole who saved you," Leo corrected.
"What did Cole do?" Phoebe asked, her heart beginning to beat rapidly. She was beginning to panic.
"Well it's not like he hasn't faced death before, Phoebe. If he can beat the wasteland twice, he can probably do it again," Piper remarked.
"Cole's dead?" Phoebe squeaked.
"He must be by now," Paige answered.
"What does that mean exactly. He must be by now. What did he do, Piper?" Phoebe demanded.
"He exchanged his life for yours," Piper answered.
"And you let him?"
"Of course. It was really a no-brainer," Piper quipped.
"But why would the demon of innocence agree to the exchange. Cole isn't anywhere near innocent," Phoebe said.
"Aaah, duh. Phoebe, and neither are you. That demon was no demon of innocence. He was the demon of conflict," Paige said.
"But I thought..."
"Cole let you think that because he had a plan to kill Vector's father and if Cole told you the whole truth he was afraid that Vector would read your feelings and Cole would lose his chance to defeat him."
"So that's why he lied. I should've guessed it. It explains the hot and cold act, the kiss, everything."
"Ah, what's that about a kiss?" Paige asked.
"Never mind. Were you able to defeat the demon?"
"No," Piper said. Once Vector's father agreed to the exchange we high-tailed it out of there as soon as we could to save you."
"And you were just going to let me go on believing that none of this happened? Don't you realize lives are at stake here?"
"We know that Phoebe, but there's nothing we can do. If Vector's father absorbed Cole, then he's become more powerful now than we're equipped to handle. And we saw no point in upsetting you unnecessarily. You've been through enough with Cole and you were finally getting on with your life. We just thought it was for the best if you believed it was all a dream."
"So you were just going to keep me in the dark and give up on the demons without a fight? I just can't believe what I'm hearing. What happened to the kick ass sisters I knew and loved. Where's the fight in you?"
"It isn't a fight. It's the demon's victory and there's nothing we can do about it. Sometimes you have to accept defeat, Phoebe and just deal with the aftermath," Leo said.
"You know I gotta admit I almost wish Cole were still alive," Piper said, "cause we could sure use his devious mind right about now. Maybe he might've thought of a way to combat them, but with him dead and his mother's book gone we're defeated," Piper said.
"How did you know about his mother's book?"
"He told us to find it, just before we orbed out. So, we went to that demonic office of his, but it had been ransacked. All the files, books, everything were gone."
"Then we just have to find the next best thing," Leo said as he was struck with a brilliant idea.
"What's the point? If Cole's gone and the father is crowned the new Source, nothing's gonna destroy him now."
"Cole's not gone," Phoebe said, her eyes shut and her hands covering her heart. "He's still alive. I can feel him."
"If that's true, then we may still have a chance of defeating that demon before he becomes the next source." Paige pointed out.
"Leo, if the book is gone, what is the next best thing you were talking about?"
"Finding Cole's mother," Leo announced.
Words can't express my guilt about leaving this story hanging for so long, but I have a reallllly good excuse.
My first novel was just published! It's called A HAUNTING MELODY and guess who I used for the lead? Yeah you guessed it. Julian McMahon. He plays the part of a 19th century riverboat captain, Daniel Cole. Come check it out at my website at www.tpacelli.com. If you're interested, here's a quick little synopsis of my supernatural romance and mystery novel, A Haunting Melody.
A Haunting Melody is about a 19th century riverboat captain, Daniel Cole, whose affair with a married feminist turns tragic when his riverboat, the "Melody," mysteriously sinks with all hands lost.
In 2003, Captain Cole's ghost haunts the renovated "Melody," now owned by a widow who bears a remarkable resemblance to the woman he once loved. Together they solve the mystery surrounding his death.
I mailed a copy of the novel to Julian's agent, and I'll let you know when I hear something.
And now....on with the story
******************
"The Dream"
Vector's father sat on a throne-like chair in his gothic chamber that resided in a pit of an inactive volcano. His forehead throbbed at the sight of a scrumptious meal standing before him in the form of Phoebe Halliwell.
"Bring her to me, Vector," his father ordered in a silky voice.
Against her will, Phoebe was shoved in front of his father's greedy eyes.
"You've done well, my son. This witch is more powerful than anyone I've ever encountered before. The enormous energy of her powers coupled with the force of her conflict is great enough to make me the next Source. I underestimated you, Vector. Frankly I didn't think you could pull this off, but you have, and you will be rewarded when I take my rightful place as the next Source.
"I knew you'd be pleased, father. She was a pretty big fish to reel in all by myself, but now I've proven to you once and for all my worthiness,
Phoebe struggled to break free of Vector's hold putting all of her witch's strength into one large kicking thrust that shot a foot into Vector's head and sent him flying backward. Phoebe didn't know she could kick that hard or that high for that matter. This was no time to stop and admire herself, though, she mused. What she needed was to escape and escape fast. Phoebe turned to run and was levitated into the air. She, however, was not the one doing the levitating. Vector's father had released the vacuum from his forehead and the force of the air had catapulted her nearly to the ceiling like a tornado and was quickly pulling her inside the opening that loomed before her. Phoebe could hardly breathe, but her head screamed "No, this can't be my time to go." She could feel the veil between the living and the dead growing thinner, and Phoebe thought for a moment she caught a glimpse of Pru smiling at her when suddenly that image faded, her vision failed, and she felt the falling. "Is this how death feels?" she wondered just before passing out.
When Phoebe opened her eyes she was lying on the couch in her living-room with Paige, Piper and Leo surrounding her. But there was no sign of Cole.
"How are you feeling?" Leo asked.
"Not good, considering all we've just been through with those demons."
"What demons?" Piper asked.
"Very funny, Piper, but really I'm not much in a laughing mood after being sucked up by Hoover's largest vacuum cleaner."
"What is she talking about?" Paige asked, cocking her head in confusion.
"What are you talking about?" Phoebe asked, clearly not amused. "You had to have been there, guys, or I wouldn't be here, right? Or was it Cole who saved me and brought me home?"
"Cole? Phoebe, Cole's dead. You vanquished him yourself months ago. Don't you remember?" Paige asked.
"No, he came back. I brought him back...we brought him back. Why don't you remember this?"
"Whoa, that bump on your head was even worse than we thought. Leo, maybe you should check Phoebe out again."
"I don't need Leo's healing. I need to know what happened to the demons?"
"Okay, Phoebe, what year is this and who is the President?" Paige asked.
"Are you telling me this whole thing I experienced was just a dream?"
Paige and Piper nodded.
"None of it happened?"
They shook their heads no.
"And Cole never did come back from the Wasteland?"
"I think she's starting to get it," Paige said. "How do you feel now, Phoebe?"
"Like I've just come from the land of Oz."
"Really? Sounds cool," Paige said.
"Wow, it seemed so real and you were in it Paige and you Piper, and Cole, but not you, Leo. Sorry."
"Aah ha. Well, the nightmare's over, Phoebe," Piper sighed. "And I'm afraid you're stuck with boring old reality."
"But how did I end up on this couch, and where did this headache come from?"
"You had a nasty bump on the head courtesy of an earthquake that blew a beam down from the ceiling. We were really worried about you. But, now it looks like you're going to be just fine. So, why don't you just forget about that nasty dream you had and I'll make you a nice mug of hot chocolate with those little marshmallows you like. How does that sound?" Piper asked.
Phoebe looked up at the ceiling and did indeed see a beam missing.
"Okay, I'm convinced," Phoebe said shaking her head. She couldn't believe that all this stuff about Cole's detective agency and saving Mark and the demon of innocence was all just a by-product of a silly bump on her head, though she always did have a pretty fantastic imagination, she had to admit. Boy, she was lucky that beam didn't kill her. She guessed it just wasn't her time to go.
"So, what movie should I go rent for us tonite?" Piper asked.
"Not my time to go...not my time..." Phoebe said out loud, echoing something she remembered from her dream. She stared intently at her sisters, letting a force that was now a part of her, divine the truth.
"What is it Phoebe? Something wrong?" Paige asked.
"Yes something's wrong, and it isn't with me. You guys are lying. I almost forgot my empathic power till now."
"Paige, Piper, I told you guys this wouldn't work," Leo said.
"Well, it was worth a try," Piper said, feeling the defeat of a good plan.
"It wasn't a dream was it? It happened, all of it. Mark, the demons, the detective agency and...Cole! Where is Cole?"
"Now Phoebe, don't get yourself all excited. What happened was really all for the best," Piper argued.
"What was for the best? What is it I don't know? The last thing I remember was that demon of innocence had me in his vacuum and then suddenly I was falling. Then I woke up here. How did I get here?"
"We saved you, that's how," Paige said.
"Actually it was Cole who saved you," Leo corrected.
"What did Cole do?" Phoebe asked, her heart beginning to beat rapidly. She was beginning to panic.
"Well it's not like he hasn't faced death before, Phoebe. If he can beat the wasteland twice, he can probably do it again," Piper remarked.
"Cole's dead?" Phoebe squeaked.
"He must be by now," Paige answered.
"What does that mean exactly. He must be by now. What did he do, Piper?" Phoebe demanded.
"He exchanged his life for yours," Piper answered.
"And you let him?"
"Of course. It was really a no-brainer," Piper quipped.
"But why would the demon of innocence agree to the exchange. Cole isn't anywhere near innocent," Phoebe said.
"Aaah, duh. Phoebe, and neither are you. That demon was no demon of innocence. He was the demon of conflict," Paige said.
"But I thought..."
"Cole let you think that because he had a plan to kill Vector's father and if Cole told you the whole truth he was afraid that Vector would read your feelings and Cole would lose his chance to defeat him."
"So that's why he lied. I should've guessed it. It explains the hot and cold act, the kiss, everything."
"Ah, what's that about a kiss?" Paige asked.
"Never mind. Were you able to defeat the demon?"
"No," Piper said. Once Vector's father agreed to the exchange we high-tailed it out of there as soon as we could to save you."
"And you were just going to let me go on believing that none of this happened? Don't you realize lives are at stake here?"
"We know that Phoebe, but there's nothing we can do. If Vector's father absorbed Cole, then he's become more powerful now than we're equipped to handle. And we saw no point in upsetting you unnecessarily. You've been through enough with Cole and you were finally getting on with your life. We just thought it was for the best if you believed it was all a dream."
"So you were just going to keep me in the dark and give up on the demons without a fight? I just can't believe what I'm hearing. What happened to the kick ass sisters I knew and loved. Where's the fight in you?"
"It isn't a fight. It's the demon's victory and there's nothing we can do about it. Sometimes you have to accept defeat, Phoebe and just deal with the aftermath," Leo said.
"You know I gotta admit I almost wish Cole were still alive," Piper said, "cause we could sure use his devious mind right about now. Maybe he might've thought of a way to combat them, but with him dead and his mother's book gone we're defeated," Piper said.
"How did you know about his mother's book?"
"He told us to find it, just before we orbed out. So, we went to that demonic office of his, but it had been ransacked. All the files, books, everything were gone."
"Then we just have to find the next best thing," Leo said as he was struck with a brilliant idea.
"What's the point? If Cole's gone and the father is crowned the new Source, nothing's gonna destroy him now."
"Cole's not gone," Phoebe said, her eyes shut and her hands covering her heart. "He's still alive. I can feel him."
"If that's true, then we may still have a chance of defeating that demon before he becomes the next source." Paige pointed out.
"Leo, if the book is gone, what is the next best thing you were talking about?"
"Finding Cole's mother," Leo announced.