***Thanks so much for the reviews, compliments, and support! I'm having
fun with this—I hope you're having fun reading it. Oh, and I've changed
tenses. I've been writing in present tense, but it's really easier to
write in past tense. I'm starting lass back tomorrow so I won't be able to
post for a while. Thought I would let you know what's new! ~abs
Chloe reappeared in the attic behind the Book of Shadows, and flipped back through it. "You're vanquished. I've got to get you back." Chloe motioned to the rituals trunk, that opened as if by an invisible hand. Five white candles rose out of the trunk and formed a circle in front of her. She waved at the candles and five small fireballs emerged from her hand and lit them. "Powers of the Witches rise. Course unseen across the skies. Unbound by time, freed by grace. Allow me to see your face. Come to me, and settle here. Cross now the great divide." There was a swirling of white light as a transparent silhouette took form in the middle of the circle. "Hi, Grandma, you know me, right? Because I really need your help," Chloe looked towards the ghost standing before her.
"Of course, I do, sweetie. Your spell writing is perfect," Patty smiled looking at her granddaughter. Chloe ran to the circle to hug her Grandma.
"That's all the ingredients," Chris's voice informed the room as a pinch of powdered mushrooms was added to the pot now boiling on the stove.
"Can we throw some paint on you or something so we can see where you are? This is getting confusing," Paige teased.
"No," Chris answered obviously irritated. "Now we need Chloe to say the spell with me."
"What language were you speaking before?" Leo asked, "That did not sound like English."
"Oh it was," Chris answered plainly, "it was backwards. All the words were backwards. It was something we started doing when we were younger to confuse the adults. Get away with saying spells and not get in trouble."
"I'll have to remember that," Piper winked.
"Do we know where she shimmered off to?" Phoebe brought up the question in everyone's mind.
"Oh yeah, she's in the attic."
"How do you know?" Leo eyed the space his son supposedly filled.
"It's a secret," Chris answered slyly.
"Tied to that ring I'm assuming," Leo wryly smiled.
There was a shatter of glass as Chris dropped the mortar and pestle in his hand.
"Not a subtle answer, son," Piper chided him.
The pieces of the mortar fly off the ground and float into the garbage can as Chris responded, "Yeah, I'm getting progressively worse at lying."
"I'll go get Chloe," Leo informed the crowd and orbed out before Chris could stop him.
"My dad has been vanquished, but I still exist. I don't understand. You're outside of time, help me out a little, please," Chloe pleaded with Patty.
"I can't tell you much, sweetie. But what I can say is, it's in your power to find him. And it's in your power to vanquish Batterak," Patty answered.
"Vanquish Batterak without vanquishing my dad?" Chloe asked hopeful.
"Yes, you have the answer. I can't tell you more than that," Patty smiled caressing Chloe's face, "You're so beautiful, I see your mother in you. Tell her I said hi. Blessed be," she finished disappearing.
"Blessed be," Chloe echoed a tear in her eye.
"Whose daughter are you? Paige's or Phoebe's?" came a voice from the door.
"I should have known you'd be here and invisible," Chloe answered without turning around.
"You didn't answer my question," Leo answered entering the room, fully visible now. Chloe gritted her teeth in a smile.
"We're back," Leo announced joining the sisters and invisible Chris in the kitchen.
*My secret's out* Chloe thought entering the room. "What?" Chris exclaimed knocking a potion vial on the floor in a small explosion.
"Calm down, we're going to fix this, honey. That's why Leo went to get her. If you keep getting excited like that, we're not going to have any glassware left in the house."
"Yeah, fix this Chloe," Chris instructed, agitation filled his voice.
"Forwards please," Leo asked.
Then Chloe and Chris repeated the spell from before, this time pricking Leo's finger with the athame, "Reveal to us what we cannot see. Show me this mystery. Hide and seek is what we play. Bring forth sight to us this day." As Leo's blood trickled into the potion, Chris reappeared in front of his family. "It's nice to be solid again," Chris dryly remarked. "You, come with me," he motioned to Chloe.
"No, I think you and I better check out some sources on Batterak. See if he's planning another attack anytime soon," Leo interjected, "Chloe can stay here and help the sisters with other potions since she knows more about him than the rest of us and he's not in the book."
"But," Chris protested.
"I think that's a good idea, go with your dad, bond. Be nice," Chloe responded shrinking away from Chris.
"Fine, but you and I are having a nice long chat when I get back," and he orbed out followed by Leo who winked.
"Now that your ally is gone, we have a couple of questions," Phoebe began to interrogate.
"Phoebe, we do not," Piper interrupted angrily.
"No, that's ok. What would you like to know?" Chloe responded, afraid of what she might hear.
"How did you get here for starters? And you're part demon, part witch? Are you evil or good?"
"Phoebe," Paige was now irritated as well.
"It's ok, really. She's been hurt before by someone she trusted with her heart. And he was evil. She has a right to ask me questions and be skeptical," Chloe began, "The Avatars sent me here after Batterak. They need my father back on their side." Piper, Paige and Phoebe exchange looks with this remark. "That's right, my dad is the Avatar that Batterak is feeding off of, and I'm not sure how much longer he is going to be alive. I truly do not know why Batterak came back to this time, but I have got to stop him. If I can stop him here, now, it may change the whole future. I have a strong feeling that he works for whoever turns Wyatt and this is part of their plan. If we can thwart this, we may save Wyatt, save your family, and save my dad," she concluded lowering her eyes.
"You didn't say if you were evil or good."
"I am good, like you noticed. My dad is not a demon, he's an Avatar—supposedly neither good nor evil. But my dad works for good. He has a soul...and given the choice he would be on our side. His powers are demonic in nature, that's why mine are deceptive. Good can't discern if I'm good, and evil can't tell if I'm evil. It's part of my powers. I can blend in with both sides. Play the role of a double agent."
"Cool," Paige smiled.
"I think so," Chloe returned the smile.
Phoebe, a little more convinced offered, "I have a book of spells in my room that might help us."
"And I have some clothes upstairs if you need to borrow something? Change you know, feel fresh. I'm assuming you've been going for a few days now," Paige also offered.
"That sounds nice," Chloe followed Paige and Phoebe upstairs.
Piper walked over to the sunroom where Wyatt was playing in the floor, floating his blocks, "Aren't you a smarty?" Piper asked walked up to her oldest son and sat on the sofa beside him because she was too pregnant to sit on the floor. "What do you think Miss Chloe is hiding from us, huh? Because it's definitely something... and you're little brother is in on it. Oh, thank you!" Piper exclaimed as Wyatt orbed a teddy bear to her lap, "What a little angel you are! Yay!" Wyatt walked over to the outstretched arms of his mama with his blocks following him.
Chloe reappeared in the attic behind the Book of Shadows, and flipped back through it. "You're vanquished. I've got to get you back." Chloe motioned to the rituals trunk, that opened as if by an invisible hand. Five white candles rose out of the trunk and formed a circle in front of her. She waved at the candles and five small fireballs emerged from her hand and lit them. "Powers of the Witches rise. Course unseen across the skies. Unbound by time, freed by grace. Allow me to see your face. Come to me, and settle here. Cross now the great divide." There was a swirling of white light as a transparent silhouette took form in the middle of the circle. "Hi, Grandma, you know me, right? Because I really need your help," Chloe looked towards the ghost standing before her.
"Of course, I do, sweetie. Your spell writing is perfect," Patty smiled looking at her granddaughter. Chloe ran to the circle to hug her Grandma.
"That's all the ingredients," Chris's voice informed the room as a pinch of powdered mushrooms was added to the pot now boiling on the stove.
"Can we throw some paint on you or something so we can see where you are? This is getting confusing," Paige teased.
"No," Chris answered obviously irritated. "Now we need Chloe to say the spell with me."
"What language were you speaking before?" Leo asked, "That did not sound like English."
"Oh it was," Chris answered plainly, "it was backwards. All the words were backwards. It was something we started doing when we were younger to confuse the adults. Get away with saying spells and not get in trouble."
"I'll have to remember that," Piper winked.
"Do we know where she shimmered off to?" Phoebe brought up the question in everyone's mind.
"Oh yeah, she's in the attic."
"How do you know?" Leo eyed the space his son supposedly filled.
"It's a secret," Chris answered slyly.
"Tied to that ring I'm assuming," Leo wryly smiled.
There was a shatter of glass as Chris dropped the mortar and pestle in his hand.
"Not a subtle answer, son," Piper chided him.
The pieces of the mortar fly off the ground and float into the garbage can as Chris responded, "Yeah, I'm getting progressively worse at lying."
"I'll go get Chloe," Leo informed the crowd and orbed out before Chris could stop him.
"My dad has been vanquished, but I still exist. I don't understand. You're outside of time, help me out a little, please," Chloe pleaded with Patty.
"I can't tell you much, sweetie. But what I can say is, it's in your power to find him. And it's in your power to vanquish Batterak," Patty answered.
"Vanquish Batterak without vanquishing my dad?" Chloe asked hopeful.
"Yes, you have the answer. I can't tell you more than that," Patty smiled caressing Chloe's face, "You're so beautiful, I see your mother in you. Tell her I said hi. Blessed be," she finished disappearing.
"Blessed be," Chloe echoed a tear in her eye.
"Whose daughter are you? Paige's or Phoebe's?" came a voice from the door.
"I should have known you'd be here and invisible," Chloe answered without turning around.
"You didn't answer my question," Leo answered entering the room, fully visible now. Chloe gritted her teeth in a smile.
"We're back," Leo announced joining the sisters and invisible Chris in the kitchen.
*My secret's out* Chloe thought entering the room. "What?" Chris exclaimed knocking a potion vial on the floor in a small explosion.
"Calm down, we're going to fix this, honey. That's why Leo went to get her. If you keep getting excited like that, we're not going to have any glassware left in the house."
"Yeah, fix this Chloe," Chris instructed, agitation filled his voice.
"Forwards please," Leo asked.
Then Chloe and Chris repeated the spell from before, this time pricking Leo's finger with the athame, "Reveal to us what we cannot see. Show me this mystery. Hide and seek is what we play. Bring forth sight to us this day." As Leo's blood trickled into the potion, Chris reappeared in front of his family. "It's nice to be solid again," Chris dryly remarked. "You, come with me," he motioned to Chloe.
"No, I think you and I better check out some sources on Batterak. See if he's planning another attack anytime soon," Leo interjected, "Chloe can stay here and help the sisters with other potions since she knows more about him than the rest of us and he's not in the book."
"But," Chris protested.
"I think that's a good idea, go with your dad, bond. Be nice," Chloe responded shrinking away from Chris.
"Fine, but you and I are having a nice long chat when I get back," and he orbed out followed by Leo who winked.
"Now that your ally is gone, we have a couple of questions," Phoebe began to interrogate.
"Phoebe, we do not," Piper interrupted angrily.
"No, that's ok. What would you like to know?" Chloe responded, afraid of what she might hear.
"How did you get here for starters? And you're part demon, part witch? Are you evil or good?"
"Phoebe," Paige was now irritated as well.
"It's ok, really. She's been hurt before by someone she trusted with her heart. And he was evil. She has a right to ask me questions and be skeptical," Chloe began, "The Avatars sent me here after Batterak. They need my father back on their side." Piper, Paige and Phoebe exchange looks with this remark. "That's right, my dad is the Avatar that Batterak is feeding off of, and I'm not sure how much longer he is going to be alive. I truly do not know why Batterak came back to this time, but I have got to stop him. If I can stop him here, now, it may change the whole future. I have a strong feeling that he works for whoever turns Wyatt and this is part of their plan. If we can thwart this, we may save Wyatt, save your family, and save my dad," she concluded lowering her eyes.
"You didn't say if you were evil or good."
"I am good, like you noticed. My dad is not a demon, he's an Avatar—supposedly neither good nor evil. But my dad works for good. He has a soul...and given the choice he would be on our side. His powers are demonic in nature, that's why mine are deceptive. Good can't discern if I'm good, and evil can't tell if I'm evil. It's part of my powers. I can blend in with both sides. Play the role of a double agent."
"Cool," Paige smiled.
"I think so," Chloe returned the smile.
Phoebe, a little more convinced offered, "I have a book of spells in my room that might help us."
"And I have some clothes upstairs if you need to borrow something? Change you know, feel fresh. I'm assuming you've been going for a few days now," Paige also offered.
"That sounds nice," Chloe followed Paige and Phoebe upstairs.
Piper walked over to the sunroom where Wyatt was playing in the floor, floating his blocks, "Aren't you a smarty?" Piper asked walked up to her oldest son and sat on the sofa beside him because she was too pregnant to sit on the floor. "What do you think Miss Chloe is hiding from us, huh? Because it's definitely something... and you're little brother is in on it. Oh, thank you!" Piper exclaimed as Wyatt orbed a teddy bear to her lap, "What a little angel you are! Yay!" Wyatt walked over to the outstretched arms of his mama with his blocks following him.