"Is everyone here?" Grams asks, shutting the door to the attic.
"Yeah," says Prue. "This place is amazing. How come we're never allowed in here until now? What're all those vials filled with? And, while we're asking questions that'll never be answered, how come I can't go to college for photography?"
"Prudence," Grams snaps, "stop your nonsense. I told you no and I meant it. Besides, we have important matters to discuss." She clears her throat. "I know it was hard for you...when your mother died, but there are a few things I have to tell you. Prudence, don't try to leave."
Prue reluctantly sits down.
"Are we in trouble?" Phoebe asks.
"No, but the next time you do something like that in your room I'd like to be informed. Phoebe, I see that your little mentoring program is more fate than chance. You see, Phoebe, you, Paige, and your sisters have more of a connection than you may think. Patty—your mother—met another man when she broke up with your father. His name was Sam."
"My parents!" I gasp.
"Yes, your parents. Your mother got pregnant with a fourth child, Paige Matthews Halliwell. She...had to give you up for certain reasons."
"And what may those reasons be?" I demand, raging. Phoebe's sisters—MY sisters—are staring at me incredulously, but I don't care. "Why didn't she want me? What made me different from them?"
Grams sighs, "This is all very complicated," and shakes her head, sitting down on the nearest chair. "Do you really want to know why you're not allowed in here? Why Paige is your sister, why she was adopted? Why Prudence can't go to college? What these vials are?"
Everybody says "Yes!" in unison.
"Alright, this is a little unbelievable, but hear me out. No interruptions." She gives Phoebe a knowing glare. "You're all...witches. With supernatural powers. We—your mother and I—bound your powers, except for Paige's, before she died. She was really killed by a demon, the bad villains that try to kill witches. Witches only do good, or whatever they can to protect the innocent. A prophecy foretold that Patty was to give birth to the three Charmed Ones, or, in this case, Prudence, Piper, and Phoebe. But the prophecy was broken," she says darkly. "Paige was born, creating a fourth sister—and she was twice blessed, half whitelighter, half witch. Whitelighters protect witches from harm; that's what Sam was to Patty. But he failed..."
My eyes well up with tears. "So...she didn't want me?"
"That's beside the point, didn't you hear what she just said?!" Piper screams. "We're all witches—with magic and demons and whitelighters! This can't be happening..."
I shake my head. "Look, I really have to leave. I know my way home from here...G'bye."
With that, I grab my backpack and sprint out the front door, not even bothering to close the door behind me. These people are nuts. All I can think about is how she—my own mother—didn't want me. Just because I was different, just because I wasn't in the prophecy, she left me.
It's a long run, but I run the entire six miles. Anything to get away from there—I took shortcuts, alleyways, ran through the forest again, and made it home just before me mom left to pick me up.
"Honey, what's wrong? I thought you were at Phoebe's! Are you alright?"
"No," I whisper, "no, I'm not. I just found out some things...that I don't think I should've ever known."
"What happened? Is there anything I can do?"
"No, mom," I choke. "I'm sorry, I just need to go and sort some things out right now, okay?"
I run up to my room and throw myself onto the pillows. She didn't want me. My own mother didn't want me, so she kept my sisters and cast me away before she ever got to know me. The names "Patty" and "Sam" feel like poison on my tongue. They deserted me! How could I forgive them?
And all that talk about magic! Did that weird woman really expect ME to believe that? I know that there's no such thing as magic, I'm not stupid. Besides, I'd know if I had magic powers, right? If I really was a witch, I could've cursed Laura and her gang into oblivion or made Martin my boyfriend...no such luck. There's no such thing as magic.
Satisfied with my conclusion, I recompose myself and sit up in bed. I wipe the tears away from my eyes. Magic isn't real, and my mom is at downstairs and my dad is at work. They aren't witches or whitelighters. They're all normal human beings, like me.
Once I check the mirror to make sure I look okay, I walk slowly down the stairs. I smell burning dinner and grin. My dad's home and he just ruined the pot roast again.
"Aw, dang it," he mutters, turning off the oven and blowing the smoke from the pot roast away from his face. I giggle seeing his flapping arms.
"Hey honey," he greets me, coughing. "How was your first day of school? Did you make any new friends?"
"Yeah, um, the neighbor kid. Have you met him? His name's Martin. And I have these other friends named Robert and Sara and Phoebe." Yes, that was right. Phoebe was only a friend—not a sister. I shudder but my father doesn't see.
"That's wonderful, Paige. Um...Karen?" calls my dad. "Maybe we should go out for dinner tonight instead."
My mom rolls her eyes when she walks in. "Not again, Brian. This is the third time this week! We're all going to get fat off of fast food from McDonald's!"
"I guess that's the price you pay for marrying him, mom," I laugh, heading out to the car. "The keys are still on the bench outside, you know!"
"Oops!" my mom exclaims, grabbing them. My father follows her.
"I may burn dinner, but at least I don't lose the keys three times a day," he jokes.
My mother slaps him playfully, hopping into the front passenger seat. "Just start the car already. Where should we go tonight? Gag in the Bag?" (my mom's word for Jack in the Box) "Fatty King?" (Burger King) "YickDonalds?" (McDonald's).
"How about Wendy's?" I suggest. "We haven't been there for a while."
"Wendy's it is," my dad agrees, starting the car. We live kind of close to Wendy's, so getting there isn't much of a problem. Besides, I love their chicken—my dad does, too! Genetics? No, wait—I'm adopted. But that still doesn't mean that my birth parents are a whitelighter and a witch!
I find myself lost in thought about the day's events. I went to school today expecting some hurdles naturally, but this? My mentor is nuts and her family is nuttier. Worst of all, they think I'M a part of it! Ha! How insane for them to suggest such an unrealistic—
The tires screech like bloody hell. My mom shrieks.
"Damn it!" my father yells.
I realize that we're just about to hit a truck head-on in the middle of the intersection. Everything's in slow motion. I'm going to die, I think to myself. Today is the day that I'm going to die.
I feel dizzy, lightheaded. Something's pulling me away, beckoning me. It's filled with blue light. Are we dead yet?
I scream.
SMASH!
Somehow, though, when I woke up, I wasn't in the car. I was twenty feet away from the wreck of the car, safely on the sidewalk, but unconscious. How I got out, I'll never know, but I didn't wake up for a while.
TBC
"Yeah," says Prue. "This place is amazing. How come we're never allowed in here until now? What're all those vials filled with? And, while we're asking questions that'll never be answered, how come I can't go to college for photography?"
"Prudence," Grams snaps, "stop your nonsense. I told you no and I meant it. Besides, we have important matters to discuss." She clears her throat. "I know it was hard for you...when your mother died, but there are a few things I have to tell you. Prudence, don't try to leave."
Prue reluctantly sits down.
"Are we in trouble?" Phoebe asks.
"No, but the next time you do something like that in your room I'd like to be informed. Phoebe, I see that your little mentoring program is more fate than chance. You see, Phoebe, you, Paige, and your sisters have more of a connection than you may think. Patty—your mother—met another man when she broke up with your father. His name was Sam."
"My parents!" I gasp.
"Yes, your parents. Your mother got pregnant with a fourth child, Paige Matthews Halliwell. She...had to give you up for certain reasons."
"And what may those reasons be?" I demand, raging. Phoebe's sisters—MY sisters—are staring at me incredulously, but I don't care. "Why didn't she want me? What made me different from them?"
Grams sighs, "This is all very complicated," and shakes her head, sitting down on the nearest chair. "Do you really want to know why you're not allowed in here? Why Paige is your sister, why she was adopted? Why Prudence can't go to college? What these vials are?"
Everybody says "Yes!" in unison.
"Alright, this is a little unbelievable, but hear me out. No interruptions." She gives Phoebe a knowing glare. "You're all...witches. With supernatural powers. We—your mother and I—bound your powers, except for Paige's, before she died. She was really killed by a demon, the bad villains that try to kill witches. Witches only do good, or whatever they can to protect the innocent. A prophecy foretold that Patty was to give birth to the three Charmed Ones, or, in this case, Prudence, Piper, and Phoebe. But the prophecy was broken," she says darkly. "Paige was born, creating a fourth sister—and she was twice blessed, half whitelighter, half witch. Whitelighters protect witches from harm; that's what Sam was to Patty. But he failed..."
My eyes well up with tears. "So...she didn't want me?"
"That's beside the point, didn't you hear what she just said?!" Piper screams. "We're all witches—with magic and demons and whitelighters! This can't be happening..."
I shake my head. "Look, I really have to leave. I know my way home from here...G'bye."
With that, I grab my backpack and sprint out the front door, not even bothering to close the door behind me. These people are nuts. All I can think about is how she—my own mother—didn't want me. Just because I was different, just because I wasn't in the prophecy, she left me.
It's a long run, but I run the entire six miles. Anything to get away from there—I took shortcuts, alleyways, ran through the forest again, and made it home just before me mom left to pick me up.
"Honey, what's wrong? I thought you were at Phoebe's! Are you alright?"
"No," I whisper, "no, I'm not. I just found out some things...that I don't think I should've ever known."
"What happened? Is there anything I can do?"
"No, mom," I choke. "I'm sorry, I just need to go and sort some things out right now, okay?"
I run up to my room and throw myself onto the pillows. She didn't want me. My own mother didn't want me, so she kept my sisters and cast me away before she ever got to know me. The names "Patty" and "Sam" feel like poison on my tongue. They deserted me! How could I forgive them?
And all that talk about magic! Did that weird woman really expect ME to believe that? I know that there's no such thing as magic, I'm not stupid. Besides, I'd know if I had magic powers, right? If I really was a witch, I could've cursed Laura and her gang into oblivion or made Martin my boyfriend...no such luck. There's no such thing as magic.
Satisfied with my conclusion, I recompose myself and sit up in bed. I wipe the tears away from my eyes. Magic isn't real, and my mom is at downstairs and my dad is at work. They aren't witches or whitelighters. They're all normal human beings, like me.
Once I check the mirror to make sure I look okay, I walk slowly down the stairs. I smell burning dinner and grin. My dad's home and he just ruined the pot roast again.
"Aw, dang it," he mutters, turning off the oven and blowing the smoke from the pot roast away from his face. I giggle seeing his flapping arms.
"Hey honey," he greets me, coughing. "How was your first day of school? Did you make any new friends?"
"Yeah, um, the neighbor kid. Have you met him? His name's Martin. And I have these other friends named Robert and Sara and Phoebe." Yes, that was right. Phoebe was only a friend—not a sister. I shudder but my father doesn't see.
"That's wonderful, Paige. Um...Karen?" calls my dad. "Maybe we should go out for dinner tonight instead."
My mom rolls her eyes when she walks in. "Not again, Brian. This is the third time this week! We're all going to get fat off of fast food from McDonald's!"
"I guess that's the price you pay for marrying him, mom," I laugh, heading out to the car. "The keys are still on the bench outside, you know!"
"Oops!" my mom exclaims, grabbing them. My father follows her.
"I may burn dinner, but at least I don't lose the keys three times a day," he jokes.
My mother slaps him playfully, hopping into the front passenger seat. "Just start the car already. Where should we go tonight? Gag in the Bag?" (my mom's word for Jack in the Box) "Fatty King?" (Burger King) "YickDonalds?" (McDonald's).
"How about Wendy's?" I suggest. "We haven't been there for a while."
"Wendy's it is," my dad agrees, starting the car. We live kind of close to Wendy's, so getting there isn't much of a problem. Besides, I love their chicken—my dad does, too! Genetics? No, wait—I'm adopted. But that still doesn't mean that my birth parents are a whitelighter and a witch!
I find myself lost in thought about the day's events. I went to school today expecting some hurdles naturally, but this? My mentor is nuts and her family is nuttier. Worst of all, they think I'M a part of it! Ha! How insane for them to suggest such an unrealistic—
The tires screech like bloody hell. My mom shrieks.
"Damn it!" my father yells.
I realize that we're just about to hit a truck head-on in the middle of the intersection. Everything's in slow motion. I'm going to die, I think to myself. Today is the day that I'm going to die.
I feel dizzy, lightheaded. Something's pulling me away, beckoning me. It's filled with blue light. Are we dead yet?
I scream.
SMASH!
Somehow, though, when I woke up, I wasn't in the car. I was twenty feet away from the wreck of the car, safely on the sidewalk, but unconscious. How I got out, I'll never know, but I didn't wake up for a while.
TBC