Even with a broken down computer, reduced to begging, borrowing or stealing
any computer time I can get my hands on, I still manage to produce a fairly
sized chapter. Praise me, people!
Are people (other my exceptionally faithful readers: charmedfanatic3000, Chantedly and Prue101) still reading this? I hope so, because I need reviews, if I'm going to keep this up. I'm only 1 review away from a century of reviews and I need all the encouragement you can give me. I'll make you a deal, next chapter is dedicated to my 100th reviewer! So remember to press that button at the end of the page! You know you want to. . .
This chapter is dedicated to the best readers and reviewers a girl could have, my very own Power of Three (see above). A very special dedication to Chantedly, without whose help and extensive knowledge on a subject I know nothing about, this whole chapter would have never been written.
Chapter 25: The trap is baited
"Come on, Talia," said Judy excitedly pulling her friend's hand.
"Do I have to?" groaned Talia as she reluctantly followed her.
"Yes, now get a move on. And remember to smile."
The two girls ran onto the stadium. The crowd cheered and Talia's smile wavered. For the thousandth time that day, Talia had to confess to herself that cheerleading just wasn't for her. Taking a deep breath she joined the other fifteen girls of her squad in their routine, whilst plotting Wyatt's and Judy's slow, and extremely painful, deaths.
A week ago Judy had walked towards them during recess, grief-stricken over how one of the other cheerleaders had fallen during practice and broken her leg. Talia had at first thought that Judy was upset and worried for her friend, only to realize afterwards that Judy was more worried about the fact that the squad would be a member short, for that weekend's big game. That was when - Talia felt her jaw clenching at the memory - Wyatt had suggested that Talia try out. He told everyone that Talia's father had taught her martial arts for self-defense, which wasn't that far from the truth actually. Talia was both fit and supple and that had, to her dismay, made her the ideal candidate for the position. Judy and the rest of the girls had enthusiastically taken her under their wing and, in less that a week, had taught her everything she needed to know. As Talia felt herself flying through the air, she vowed through gritted teeth, that Wyatt, at least, would pay.
When the routine was done, and while the players came onto the field, Talia felt herself relax a little. The worse thing about all this, she decided, was not the indecently short skirt, or the minuscule top she was wearing. It was the pompoms.
And the jumping, she added quietly to herself as she saw the cheerleader next her, who had obviously forgotten her bra at home, jumping excitedly when all the players had assembled on to the field.
None of them were a bad sort really, well except maybe Jessica who was, to everyone's dismay, cheerleading captain. Cheerleading was just something that was definitely not the type of thing the Princess of the Underworld would do.
The game started and she felt herself calm down a bit more. Josh was captain and Wyatt was quarterback, and probably the future captain of the team. They had both tried explaining the game to her, (she had told Josh that people didn't play American football in Australia), but she had just been unable to fully grasp what all the fuss was about. It all seemed quite silly to her, but if it made them happy. . .
Talia's train of thought was quickly interrupted, when Jessica led them through another of their routines.
"Smile," hissed Judy, and Talia plastered a fake smile on her face in response.
If her father could see her now, she thought unhappily, he would surely die of laughter. She had to consciously struggle, for a scowl not to spread over her face at the thought.
The routine soon finished and Talia once again found herself on the sidelines watching a game she didn't really understand. She already knew that her mother and aunts were in the stands today watching Wyatt. She fervently wished she was sitting with them. Her eyes searched the crowd for their familiar faces, when . . .
Talia froze. She shielded her eyes from the sun and squinted, trying to make out the two, rather large and scowling figures in the stands. Unlike the rest of the spectators, they weren't cheering. But they were watching. Talia had recognized them. Both men were demons, she was sure of it.
One of the first things that Cole had shown her when she was growing up was the ability that all demons had of seeing the evil in others. She used that ability now and confirmed her suspicions. Both men wore normal clothing, yet they didn't seem comfortable in them. She frowned. Their cheap disguise would have never been able to fool her, and if it was her they were meant to be watching, they would have known that.
Talia followed their line of vision. The two demons seemed to be watching the game. Demon sports fans? Talia didn't think so.
"Touchdown!!!" screamed the commentator from the loudspeakers sending the cheerleaders around Talia in a frenzy of excitement and activity.
"Talia, come on! Pyramid! Now!" called Judy to her.
Talia wordlessly complied without taking her eyes off the two men she was watching.
They must be after Wyatt, she decided. A bit of reconnaissance before attacking, she thought. Perhaps they didn't realize that she might be at the game. Or they could be after someone else.
Talia didn't like that idea at all. Wyatt was perfectly capable of protecting himself. And he had the Charmed Ones and her, on his side. She wasn't particularly worried about him, especially because she recognized the demons as low-level ones.
If they were after someone else though. . . Talia looked apprehensively around her. They could be after anyone, she thought exasperatedly.
No, not anyone. She corrected herself. The demons were observing the game. They must be after one of the players. Or the referee.
Talia sighed. She was stuck here jumping up and down like a maniac when she should be confronting those demons.
************
When the whistle finally signaled the end of the game Talia, could take it no more.
"Talia, where are you going?" cried Judy in desperation as she watched her friend darting away.
"I'll be back soon, I promise!" called Talia over her shoulder.
Their school team had won, that much Talia knew. Beyond that, the rest of the game seemed to have passed in a blur.
Talia was pushing her way through the crowd, keeping her eyes on the two retreating demons. She knew they wouldn't dare to shimmer out in front of all the other people. They'd be looking for somewhere a little more private for that. Talia had no intention of letting them go before she found out what the hell they were doing at the game.
It was behind the stands that Talia finally caught up with them.
*************
Deimos, a short but bulky demon, followed his companion, Nemos, to a place where no one would be able to see them shimmering back to the Underworld.
He was about to tell Nemos that they had walked far enough, when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Deimos turned to face a pair of cold, brown eyes. It was the last thing he saw before hitting the ground face first.
Nemos soon followed.
"Now what would a couple of low-level demons, such as yourselves, be doing at a high school football game?"
Talia's voice tore through the wind that had seemed to pick up around them. It made the demons' blood run cold. They both had heard the stories of what the Source's little phoenix could do.
"Well?" she inquired impatiently.
Nemos bravely stood and straightened himself up.
"This has nothing to do you, Princess Talia! We've heard all about your treachery. We are not afraid of you!" he attempted to say defiantly.
Unfortunately for him though, his voice betrayed his terror of the Princess of the Underworld. Like a wild animal, Talia pounced at the scent of the demon's fear.
"This happens to be the school I now attend," she said haughtily. "And anything that happens on these grounds and the people that have anything to do with it, are under my protection."
The two demons, if at all possible, cowered even more at her pronouncement. They would never be able to understand a witch's need to protect her innocents, but they could understand a demon's need to protect her territory, her domain, her power.
Talia knew that even though she had changed, it would take a long time and effort for a lot of people from both sides to understand and believe that.
"Your highness," stuttered Deimos, he was still on the ground where Talia had dropped him, "it was your father's orders."
"Shut up, you idiot!" hissed Nemos.
It was already too late. Talia's eyes flashed and she lunged at Deimos. Faster than lightning, Talia gripped the collar of Deimos's shirt and pulled him up by it.
"What exactly were my father's order's?" she growled menacingly.
"Don't tell her!" warned Nemos.
Still holding on to a terrified Deimos, Talia waved her hand at Nemos. Nemos was knocked off his feet by the invisible force of the telekinesis she had inherited from Prue. One demon crumpled on the ground, while the other could do nothing but watch, still in Talia's iron grip.
"Who did my father send you after?" she hissed, her eyes narrowing at him.
"A mortal boy. . ." he finally gasped. "His name is Josh. . . he's the leader of the football team playing today."
Talia felt shock wash through her. And in her surprise she let Deimos slip from her fingers.
Talia was too busy trying to come to terms with what Deimos had told her, to see Nemos get up and reach for something in his clothes.
"You fool!!!" she heard him shout and, too late, she saw the athame bury itself into Deimos' back.
Talia threw a ball of hellfire at Nemos, but the demon shimmered out before the searing heat reached him, leaving Talia behind with a thoughtful look on her face.
Are people (other my exceptionally faithful readers: charmedfanatic3000, Chantedly and Prue101) still reading this? I hope so, because I need reviews, if I'm going to keep this up. I'm only 1 review away from a century of reviews and I need all the encouragement you can give me. I'll make you a deal, next chapter is dedicated to my 100th reviewer! So remember to press that button at the end of the page! You know you want to. . .
This chapter is dedicated to the best readers and reviewers a girl could have, my very own Power of Three (see above). A very special dedication to Chantedly, without whose help and extensive knowledge on a subject I know nothing about, this whole chapter would have never been written.
Chapter 25: The trap is baited
"Come on, Talia," said Judy excitedly pulling her friend's hand.
"Do I have to?" groaned Talia as she reluctantly followed her.
"Yes, now get a move on. And remember to smile."
The two girls ran onto the stadium. The crowd cheered and Talia's smile wavered. For the thousandth time that day, Talia had to confess to herself that cheerleading just wasn't for her. Taking a deep breath she joined the other fifteen girls of her squad in their routine, whilst plotting Wyatt's and Judy's slow, and extremely painful, deaths.
A week ago Judy had walked towards them during recess, grief-stricken over how one of the other cheerleaders had fallen during practice and broken her leg. Talia had at first thought that Judy was upset and worried for her friend, only to realize afterwards that Judy was more worried about the fact that the squad would be a member short, for that weekend's big game. That was when - Talia felt her jaw clenching at the memory - Wyatt had suggested that Talia try out. He told everyone that Talia's father had taught her martial arts for self-defense, which wasn't that far from the truth actually. Talia was both fit and supple and that had, to her dismay, made her the ideal candidate for the position. Judy and the rest of the girls had enthusiastically taken her under their wing and, in less that a week, had taught her everything she needed to know. As Talia felt herself flying through the air, she vowed through gritted teeth, that Wyatt, at least, would pay.
When the routine was done, and while the players came onto the field, Talia felt herself relax a little. The worse thing about all this, she decided, was not the indecently short skirt, or the minuscule top she was wearing. It was the pompoms.
And the jumping, she added quietly to herself as she saw the cheerleader next her, who had obviously forgotten her bra at home, jumping excitedly when all the players had assembled on to the field.
None of them were a bad sort really, well except maybe Jessica who was, to everyone's dismay, cheerleading captain. Cheerleading was just something that was definitely not the type of thing the Princess of the Underworld would do.
The game started and she felt herself calm down a bit more. Josh was captain and Wyatt was quarterback, and probably the future captain of the team. They had both tried explaining the game to her, (she had told Josh that people didn't play American football in Australia), but she had just been unable to fully grasp what all the fuss was about. It all seemed quite silly to her, but if it made them happy. . .
Talia's train of thought was quickly interrupted, when Jessica led them through another of their routines.
"Smile," hissed Judy, and Talia plastered a fake smile on her face in response.
If her father could see her now, she thought unhappily, he would surely die of laughter. She had to consciously struggle, for a scowl not to spread over her face at the thought.
The routine soon finished and Talia once again found herself on the sidelines watching a game she didn't really understand. She already knew that her mother and aunts were in the stands today watching Wyatt. She fervently wished she was sitting with them. Her eyes searched the crowd for their familiar faces, when . . .
Talia froze. She shielded her eyes from the sun and squinted, trying to make out the two, rather large and scowling figures in the stands. Unlike the rest of the spectators, they weren't cheering. But they were watching. Talia had recognized them. Both men were demons, she was sure of it.
One of the first things that Cole had shown her when she was growing up was the ability that all demons had of seeing the evil in others. She used that ability now and confirmed her suspicions. Both men wore normal clothing, yet they didn't seem comfortable in them. She frowned. Their cheap disguise would have never been able to fool her, and if it was her they were meant to be watching, they would have known that.
Talia followed their line of vision. The two demons seemed to be watching the game. Demon sports fans? Talia didn't think so.
"Touchdown!!!" screamed the commentator from the loudspeakers sending the cheerleaders around Talia in a frenzy of excitement and activity.
"Talia, come on! Pyramid! Now!" called Judy to her.
Talia wordlessly complied without taking her eyes off the two men she was watching.
They must be after Wyatt, she decided. A bit of reconnaissance before attacking, she thought. Perhaps they didn't realize that she might be at the game. Or they could be after someone else.
Talia didn't like that idea at all. Wyatt was perfectly capable of protecting himself. And he had the Charmed Ones and her, on his side. She wasn't particularly worried about him, especially because she recognized the demons as low-level ones.
If they were after someone else though. . . Talia looked apprehensively around her. They could be after anyone, she thought exasperatedly.
No, not anyone. She corrected herself. The demons were observing the game. They must be after one of the players. Or the referee.
Talia sighed. She was stuck here jumping up and down like a maniac when she should be confronting those demons.
************
When the whistle finally signaled the end of the game Talia, could take it no more.
"Talia, where are you going?" cried Judy in desperation as she watched her friend darting away.
"I'll be back soon, I promise!" called Talia over her shoulder.
Their school team had won, that much Talia knew. Beyond that, the rest of the game seemed to have passed in a blur.
Talia was pushing her way through the crowd, keeping her eyes on the two retreating demons. She knew they wouldn't dare to shimmer out in front of all the other people. They'd be looking for somewhere a little more private for that. Talia had no intention of letting them go before she found out what the hell they were doing at the game.
It was behind the stands that Talia finally caught up with them.
*************
Deimos, a short but bulky demon, followed his companion, Nemos, to a place where no one would be able to see them shimmering back to the Underworld.
He was about to tell Nemos that they had walked far enough, when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Deimos turned to face a pair of cold, brown eyes. It was the last thing he saw before hitting the ground face first.
Nemos soon followed.
"Now what would a couple of low-level demons, such as yourselves, be doing at a high school football game?"
Talia's voice tore through the wind that had seemed to pick up around them. It made the demons' blood run cold. They both had heard the stories of what the Source's little phoenix could do.
"Well?" she inquired impatiently.
Nemos bravely stood and straightened himself up.
"This has nothing to do you, Princess Talia! We've heard all about your treachery. We are not afraid of you!" he attempted to say defiantly.
Unfortunately for him though, his voice betrayed his terror of the Princess of the Underworld. Like a wild animal, Talia pounced at the scent of the demon's fear.
"This happens to be the school I now attend," she said haughtily. "And anything that happens on these grounds and the people that have anything to do with it, are under my protection."
The two demons, if at all possible, cowered even more at her pronouncement. They would never be able to understand a witch's need to protect her innocents, but they could understand a demon's need to protect her territory, her domain, her power.
Talia knew that even though she had changed, it would take a long time and effort for a lot of people from both sides to understand and believe that.
"Your highness," stuttered Deimos, he was still on the ground where Talia had dropped him, "it was your father's orders."
"Shut up, you idiot!" hissed Nemos.
It was already too late. Talia's eyes flashed and she lunged at Deimos. Faster than lightning, Talia gripped the collar of Deimos's shirt and pulled him up by it.
"What exactly were my father's order's?" she growled menacingly.
"Don't tell her!" warned Nemos.
Still holding on to a terrified Deimos, Talia waved her hand at Nemos. Nemos was knocked off his feet by the invisible force of the telekinesis she had inherited from Prue. One demon crumpled on the ground, while the other could do nothing but watch, still in Talia's iron grip.
"Who did my father send you after?" she hissed, her eyes narrowing at him.
"A mortal boy. . ." he finally gasped. "His name is Josh. . . he's the leader of the football team playing today."
Talia felt shock wash through her. And in her surprise she let Deimos slip from her fingers.
Talia was too busy trying to come to terms with what Deimos had told her, to see Nemos get up and reach for something in his clothes.
"You fool!!!" she heard him shout and, too late, she saw the athame bury itself into Deimos' back.
Talia threw a ball of hellfire at Nemos, but the demon shimmered out before the searing heat reached him, leaving Talia behind with a thoughtful look on her face.