"Paige, Paige!"
I groan. My head is spinning. Am I dead yet? What's happened? One minute I was in a car with screeching tires headed for a gigantic truck, and now...I'm on the...sidewalk? Who's calling my name?
"Paige, wake up!"
I try to focus in on the face looming in front of me, but the sun's too bright to see. "What...?" I manage to croak.
"You were ejected from the car, Paige. The medics are on the way."
"Huh?" Finally, the world is focused. The face hovering over me...is Martin? "What just happened?" I moan, sitting up and rubbing my head.
"You're okay!" he exclaims. I can see that he was skateboarding past. He has on his helmet and knee pads, and I can see his skateboard sitting by us unoccupied. "Oh my god, your car's over there, Paige. You were ejected at least twenty feet away when the truck hit you...it's a miracle you're alive. Your parents..."
"Are they okay?" I exclaim.
He shakes his head. "I...don't know. It's pretty bad. Look," he says, pointing towards the wreck.
All I can see that's left of our car is a few chunks of burning metal scraped along the street. I don't see my parents anywhere...but they can't be inside that car, they can't be! The window's smashed and the flames flicker so I can't see in, but I know that no one could survive a wreck like that. They must be dead...so how did I survive? The blue lights—was that it?
"I'm so sorry, Paige," he whispers, his head hung low.
"No..." I murmur. I can hear the sirens in the distance and I know that they're coming for us. If they find me, they'll take me away. I'll never see Phoebe...or MY sisters...again. I can't let that happen. "Martin, I'm fine," I assure him, getting up. "I don't know what happened, but I have to go. It's important that they don't find me, you have to understand...getting away from those people right now is all that can save me from being taken away."
He nods, not quite understanding. "So...should I just...pretend that I never saw you? They'd think that...you died in the fire. Is that what I should do?"
"That would be great. Thank you so much Martin, this means the world to me. I have to go...before they find me."
"Be careful, Paige," he manages, watching me run into the nearest street alley.
It rips my heart out to leave him there in that awkward position, having to lie for me. But I know it's for the best. It's the only ways I can find out the truth about my past and my...
Sisters.
The alley is dark and dank with putrid smell leaking from the dumpster. I close my eyes and try to think. The sirens are getting closer, I'd better come up with a plan soon. Think, think, think...
A hand grabs me from behind with the same smell as the dumpster a few feet away. I shriek and wriggle out of his grasp, turning to face a disheveled man with graying hair. Something about him seems...No, this man is dangerous, I know I need to get away. I scream again, louder this time, hoping that someone will hear. Curse this man! He's blowing my cover!
"Please stop," he begs, "before someone hears..."
He takes my hand and I kick him in the stomach as hard as I can. I need to get away, but he's cornered me in the alley shadows. There's no way out!
Then the blue lights engulf me again, that same sucking feeling from before. I'm leaving, and this time I can't help but grin. I know where I'm headed. Halliwell Manor, here I come.
"Wait, Paige—"
That's all I could hear before the lights carried me away to another place.
"AAAAAA!" A voice screams. "OH MY GOD, GRAAAAAAAMS!"
"Stop it, stop it," I shout, covering my ears. I'm in the kitchen and with a very surprised Prue, who decides that the best reaction to my sudden appearance is to make as much ear-splitting noise as possible. "PRUE, DAMMIT, SHUT THE HELL UP!!!"
"P-P-Paige?" she whimpers. "H-H-How'd you d-do that?"
"Don't ask me, all I know is that it just saved me from certain death," I snap at her. I have this sudden urge to slap her. SHE thinks that SHE'S confused? I just survived a car accident with magic, forced my crush to lie about my death, and nearly got abducted by a complete stranger. I win. "Prudence, what's wrong?" Grams asks, strutting down the stairs urgently. She immediately sees me and grins, eyebrow cocked up. "So, Paige, you came back. By magic, I presume by the way Prudence just yelled?"
"I...really don't know. Honestly, I'm lost here. I was with my parents in the car, and the truck...hit the car, but I was...there was blue light, I got out, and I saw this boy I know...he promised not to tell them that I was alive, he covered for me and I escaped...then the alleyway, and this strange man, and...now I'm here." I realize that there are wet, frustrated tears running down my cheeks. "They're dead," I finish helplessly.
A concerned look flashes across the old woman's face. "It'll be okay, Paige," she promises me. "You can stay here while everything gets sorted out, alright? We have a spare bedroom upstairs, Phoebe will show you..."
That's when I see the Piper and Phoebe were at the doorway, listening to me sob out the entire story. I duck my head down in embarrassment. This must be a nightmare, I know it in my heart...I'll wake up, I won't be in San Francisco, there won't be any Phoebe, Piper, Prue, Grams, Martin, Robert or Sara...just me, my mom and dad, and little knowledge of my past.
That's the way it should be—right?
"After you get some rest you can explain it all to us in the morning," Grams soothes.
I yawn. Boy, am I sleepy. All the flashing blue lights took away all my energy, and now all I want to do is lay down in blissful sleep. Then in the morning I'll wake up and it'll all be a terrible dream. Taylor will walk me to school and seven o'clock, like usual, and at lunch we'll share our chips, and...
In my lost trail of thought, I don't even realize that I'm upstairs and in bed until Grams turns out the light.
/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/- /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/
'Is that what I should...stop, before someone...spare bedroom...in the morning...' All of the voices drift around in my head. But who had said them? Where was I when they said it? I am aware that there are three of them, and for some reason they're important, like something big just happened. But what?
I shoot up in bed, only to find that I'm still in the guest room at the Halliwell Manor. For some reason, I'm not surprised to be here. In the back of my mind, I know I've been in this place before, when I was really little. But why am I here now?
Oh, yeah. The accident.
"Phoebe, you're late!" somebody whispers harshly near my door. I can tell it's Piper by the way she's tapping her foot impatiently on the hardwood floor. "I'm leaving without you..."
"Lemme just go check on Paige."
Instantly I drop back down under the covers and close my eyes, pretending to be fast asleep still. I'm not ready to face people just yet, at least not them. There's so much I still have to know. Like...why? Why is this happening to ME? I was normal. I've always been normal. I'm just normal old...Paige Matthews. There's nothing to it.
"Still asleep," Phoebe reported back to Piper. "Poor kid..."
I sigh in relief as their footsteps fade away down the stairs and out the door.
"Do you want to talk?"
Prue and Grams shut the door behind them, and I know that there's no escape now.
"Sure," I say tentatively, "what about?"
"We just want to know what happened, so we can sort everything out," Grams explained. "And, seeing that you've...got nowhere to go, we could find a way to take you in for a little while."
"Thanks," I mumble. "Well, my foster parents and I were going out for dinner. We were on just a normal, everyday street, and this truck, a huge, gigantic truck, came out of nowhere. It was about to hit us and all I can remember thinking was 'I'm gonna die, this is it, it'll hit us and we'll all die.' I wanted more than anything to escape...when these blue lights surrounded me."
"Like the ones that got you here in the first place?" asks Prue.
I nod. "Who...saved me? How did I live when my parents died? The car was just flaming scrap metal when I left it..."
"You saved yourself. Your father was a whitelighter, a witch protector, as I said earlier. You inherited some of his powers, including...orbing. That's what you did—it's means of transportation for whitelighters." Grams sighs. "This wasn't meant to happen...Paige, I'm so sorry about your foster parents. But what happened next? How'd you get here?"
I swallow. "I woke up on the sidewalk, and this boy I know, Martin, was there. He said he'd cover for me, tell the police that I was...dead. Presumably, that is, if I didn't come out of the car. Nobody saw me 'orb,' though...except for...the man."
"What man?"
"Well, I ran into the alleyway, and a man grabbed me. He knew my name, told me to stop screaming and come with him...when I 'orbed' again. I didn't mean for him to see me," I add quickly, "it was an accident."
"It's okay," Grams tells me. But I can see by the worried look on her face that something else is bugging her. "I think I know who this man is...and whether he's dangerous or not, I wouldn't know."
A/N—Sorry it took so long to update! I've been doing other fics and finals and...yeah. But hey, it's almost the end of the school year for me! Two more day—woo hoo! (starts dancing on keyboard singing)
R&R, pretty please?? I like reviews!!
I groan. My head is spinning. Am I dead yet? What's happened? One minute I was in a car with screeching tires headed for a gigantic truck, and now...I'm on the...sidewalk? Who's calling my name?
"Paige, wake up!"
I try to focus in on the face looming in front of me, but the sun's too bright to see. "What...?" I manage to croak.
"You were ejected from the car, Paige. The medics are on the way."
"Huh?" Finally, the world is focused. The face hovering over me...is Martin? "What just happened?" I moan, sitting up and rubbing my head.
"You're okay!" he exclaims. I can see that he was skateboarding past. He has on his helmet and knee pads, and I can see his skateboard sitting by us unoccupied. "Oh my god, your car's over there, Paige. You were ejected at least twenty feet away when the truck hit you...it's a miracle you're alive. Your parents..."
"Are they okay?" I exclaim.
He shakes his head. "I...don't know. It's pretty bad. Look," he says, pointing towards the wreck.
All I can see that's left of our car is a few chunks of burning metal scraped along the street. I don't see my parents anywhere...but they can't be inside that car, they can't be! The window's smashed and the flames flicker so I can't see in, but I know that no one could survive a wreck like that. They must be dead...so how did I survive? The blue lights—was that it?
"I'm so sorry, Paige," he whispers, his head hung low.
"No..." I murmur. I can hear the sirens in the distance and I know that they're coming for us. If they find me, they'll take me away. I'll never see Phoebe...or MY sisters...again. I can't let that happen. "Martin, I'm fine," I assure him, getting up. "I don't know what happened, but I have to go. It's important that they don't find me, you have to understand...getting away from those people right now is all that can save me from being taken away."
He nods, not quite understanding. "So...should I just...pretend that I never saw you? They'd think that...you died in the fire. Is that what I should do?"
"That would be great. Thank you so much Martin, this means the world to me. I have to go...before they find me."
"Be careful, Paige," he manages, watching me run into the nearest street alley.
It rips my heart out to leave him there in that awkward position, having to lie for me. But I know it's for the best. It's the only ways I can find out the truth about my past and my...
Sisters.
The alley is dark and dank with putrid smell leaking from the dumpster. I close my eyes and try to think. The sirens are getting closer, I'd better come up with a plan soon. Think, think, think...
A hand grabs me from behind with the same smell as the dumpster a few feet away. I shriek and wriggle out of his grasp, turning to face a disheveled man with graying hair. Something about him seems...No, this man is dangerous, I know I need to get away. I scream again, louder this time, hoping that someone will hear. Curse this man! He's blowing my cover!
"Please stop," he begs, "before someone hears..."
He takes my hand and I kick him in the stomach as hard as I can. I need to get away, but he's cornered me in the alley shadows. There's no way out!
Then the blue lights engulf me again, that same sucking feeling from before. I'm leaving, and this time I can't help but grin. I know where I'm headed. Halliwell Manor, here I come.
"Wait, Paige—"
That's all I could hear before the lights carried me away to another place.
"AAAAAA!" A voice screams. "OH MY GOD, GRAAAAAAAMS!"
"Stop it, stop it," I shout, covering my ears. I'm in the kitchen and with a very surprised Prue, who decides that the best reaction to my sudden appearance is to make as much ear-splitting noise as possible. "PRUE, DAMMIT, SHUT THE HELL UP!!!"
"P-P-Paige?" she whimpers. "H-H-How'd you d-do that?"
"Don't ask me, all I know is that it just saved me from certain death," I snap at her. I have this sudden urge to slap her. SHE thinks that SHE'S confused? I just survived a car accident with magic, forced my crush to lie about my death, and nearly got abducted by a complete stranger. I win. "Prudence, what's wrong?" Grams asks, strutting down the stairs urgently. She immediately sees me and grins, eyebrow cocked up. "So, Paige, you came back. By magic, I presume by the way Prudence just yelled?"
"I...really don't know. Honestly, I'm lost here. I was with my parents in the car, and the truck...hit the car, but I was...there was blue light, I got out, and I saw this boy I know...he promised not to tell them that I was alive, he covered for me and I escaped...then the alleyway, and this strange man, and...now I'm here." I realize that there are wet, frustrated tears running down my cheeks. "They're dead," I finish helplessly.
A concerned look flashes across the old woman's face. "It'll be okay, Paige," she promises me. "You can stay here while everything gets sorted out, alright? We have a spare bedroom upstairs, Phoebe will show you..."
That's when I see the Piper and Phoebe were at the doorway, listening to me sob out the entire story. I duck my head down in embarrassment. This must be a nightmare, I know it in my heart...I'll wake up, I won't be in San Francisco, there won't be any Phoebe, Piper, Prue, Grams, Martin, Robert or Sara...just me, my mom and dad, and little knowledge of my past.
That's the way it should be—right?
"After you get some rest you can explain it all to us in the morning," Grams soothes.
I yawn. Boy, am I sleepy. All the flashing blue lights took away all my energy, and now all I want to do is lay down in blissful sleep. Then in the morning I'll wake up and it'll all be a terrible dream. Taylor will walk me to school and seven o'clock, like usual, and at lunch we'll share our chips, and...
In my lost trail of thought, I don't even realize that I'm upstairs and in bed until Grams turns out the light.
/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/- /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/
'Is that what I should...stop, before someone...spare bedroom...in the morning...' All of the voices drift around in my head. But who had said them? Where was I when they said it? I am aware that there are three of them, and for some reason they're important, like something big just happened. But what?
I shoot up in bed, only to find that I'm still in the guest room at the Halliwell Manor. For some reason, I'm not surprised to be here. In the back of my mind, I know I've been in this place before, when I was really little. But why am I here now?
Oh, yeah. The accident.
"Phoebe, you're late!" somebody whispers harshly near my door. I can tell it's Piper by the way she's tapping her foot impatiently on the hardwood floor. "I'm leaving without you..."
"Lemme just go check on Paige."
Instantly I drop back down under the covers and close my eyes, pretending to be fast asleep still. I'm not ready to face people just yet, at least not them. There's so much I still have to know. Like...why? Why is this happening to ME? I was normal. I've always been normal. I'm just normal old...Paige Matthews. There's nothing to it.
"Still asleep," Phoebe reported back to Piper. "Poor kid..."
I sigh in relief as their footsteps fade away down the stairs and out the door.
"Do you want to talk?"
Prue and Grams shut the door behind them, and I know that there's no escape now.
"Sure," I say tentatively, "what about?"
"We just want to know what happened, so we can sort everything out," Grams explained. "And, seeing that you've...got nowhere to go, we could find a way to take you in for a little while."
"Thanks," I mumble. "Well, my foster parents and I were going out for dinner. We were on just a normal, everyday street, and this truck, a huge, gigantic truck, came out of nowhere. It was about to hit us and all I can remember thinking was 'I'm gonna die, this is it, it'll hit us and we'll all die.' I wanted more than anything to escape...when these blue lights surrounded me."
"Like the ones that got you here in the first place?" asks Prue.
I nod. "Who...saved me? How did I live when my parents died? The car was just flaming scrap metal when I left it..."
"You saved yourself. Your father was a whitelighter, a witch protector, as I said earlier. You inherited some of his powers, including...orbing. That's what you did—it's means of transportation for whitelighters." Grams sighs. "This wasn't meant to happen...Paige, I'm so sorry about your foster parents. But what happened next? How'd you get here?"
I swallow. "I woke up on the sidewalk, and this boy I know, Martin, was there. He said he'd cover for me, tell the police that I was...dead. Presumably, that is, if I didn't come out of the car. Nobody saw me 'orb,' though...except for...the man."
"What man?"
"Well, I ran into the alleyway, and a man grabbed me. He knew my name, told me to stop screaming and come with him...when I 'orbed' again. I didn't mean for him to see me," I add quickly, "it was an accident."
"It's okay," Grams tells me. But I can see by the worried look on her face that something else is bugging her. "I think I know who this man is...and whether he's dangerous or not, I wouldn't know."
A/N—Sorry it took so long to update! I've been doing other fics and finals and...yeah. But hey, it's almost the end of the school year for me! Two more day—woo hoo! (starts dancing on keyboard singing)
R&R, pretty please?? I like reviews!!