The spell in this chapter was not written by me, but it was written by a boy on charmed net, username River. Good job River, and thanx!
Chapter five
"Phoebe, I still don't think that this is a good idea." Paige commented as she tossed the handful of chopped garlic in her fist into the ceramic bowl. "It could be dangerous." She chewed her bottom lip. The garlic began to react with the rest of the ingredients in the bowl, and a small explosion and a thick cloud of steam later, the potion began to change from a murky sludge, to a violet colour. "Paige, I don't care about the risks. All I care about is our sister." She began to stir the bubbling liquid with a wooden spoon. "It maybe the only shot we have." Paige nodded. Phoebe was right.
"But still, how do you expect us to get to the future without a spell?" Piper demanded. "The future spell disappeared from the book when we first cast it."
"I know, I've written a brand new one." Phoebe informed her. "But I've kept the beginning of the old one." She twitched a piece of folded paper out of the pocket of her jeans and handed it to Piper. Her sister unfolded it, and her eyes skittered down the page. "This might actually work."
Paige was determined to get all of her doubts off of her chest. "But if this demon is from the future, it could have some serious power." She pointed out. "I mean, are we really ready to go up against such a powerful demon?"
"Sure," Piper said cheerily, trying to convince herself as well as Paige. "We're the Charmed Ones, and besides: our future selves will have some serious powers too." She pointed out, folding up the spell and handing it back to Phoebe. She pocketed it. "But we won't know how to control them in our future bodies," Phoebe reminded her sisters. "Which is why the purpose of this spell is to take us to our future bodies, not actually put us in them."
The doubting voice screaming in Paige's head was now only a whisper. It seemed that her sisters had thought of everything. Nothing could go wrong. 'could it?' The voice in her head added.
"Then," she said after a moment. "lets do it!"…
Five candles flickered in a circle around the half full bowl, sending shadows dancing around the attic walls. The candlelight was the only source of light in the room, but this was required with most wiccan rituals. A thin layer of steam curled upwards from the bowl. The Charmed Ones were seated in a circle around the small table, and Phoebe used the last available spot of space on it, to scribble the date of their destination onto a piece of rough paper.
She held the written date over the steam, and touched the flame of the lighter she had bought to light candles with, to the corner of the sheet. As the flames began to hungrily consume the paper, they began the chant:
'Hear these words, hear the rhyme,
we send to you this burning sign,
future winds, take us now,
our future bodies must be found,
the ones we seek our far away,
take us to their time and day.'
A blinding flash of light startled Phoebe and she closed her eyes against the glare. The smouldering piece of paper slipped from her grasp. After a moment, she opened her eyes. She glanced around at her surroundings and blinked. Nothing had happened. They were still in the attic, sitting around the table. "What happened?" Paige's voice startled her out of her daze. "Nothing, apparently." Piper answered dryly. Phoebe grabbed the edge of the table and used it to hoist herself to her feet. "Maybe there is something on time travel in the Book of Shadows." Her sisters followed her over to the pedestal and she flipped the book open, and began to turn pages. "Time travel, time travel…" She muttered to herself.
All of a sudden, they were interrupted. The door to the attic slowly began to open. Somebody was walking in on them…
"Er guys," Piper whispered when they realised who had just walked in. "I think the spell worked." Their future selves, were standing rooted to the spot, wide eyed, understandably surprised to be staring into their own faces. Piper stared at future Piper's heavily pregnant stomach. "We can explain." Phoebe started, slowly moving her hand away from the book.
But future Piper wasn't in the mood for explanation. With a wave of her hand she sent an explosive blast in their direction. Phoebe squealed and ducked out of harms way. The blast shattered the window instead of her body. Piper and Paige dove down beside her, and fixed her with identical angry looks. "What? At least the spell worked!"
"Yes it did." Piper began evenly. Phoebe could sense her growing rage. "And now I'm going to blow us all to smithereens!"
A tiny flicker of an idea shone in the back of Paige's brain. "I'll be back." Paige told them. Ignoring the questions and protests, she forced her body to dissolve into white lights, and she reappeared behind her future self. Her orbing act had distracted them for a moment. "Behind you." She informed herself. Future Paige and her future sisters whirled around. Piper raised a threatening hand to send another blast flying. "No wait! It's me, Paige. I'm from the past!" Piper lowered her hand. "Piper and Phoebe are here too." She motioned for them to come out from behind the settee that they had ducked behind. They stood either side of Paige.
"What? Then why are you here?" Future Phoebe was not convinced. "Look. How would I be able to orb if I wasn't at least good?" Paige challenged. "And evil can't touch that book. You know that." Piper added. "We're here to warn and help you."
"Just think of us as messengers." Their twins were beginning to relax now. 'Thank God.' Piper thought to herself. 'I'd hate to come here and be killed, when the only reason I came here is to stop that from happening.'
"How can we be sure?" Future Paige murmured to her sisters. "You can't." Piper answered the question. "But if you don't trust us you're dead meat." Phoebe put it simply. Their future selves tensed and their expressions hardened. "Oh, no she didn't mean…" Piper hastened to reassure them. "Er, bad choice of words sis." Paige commented.
"Well what do you mean?" Future Paige asked coldly. "Well, give us a few seconds and we'll explain everything…."
After Future Piper had called Future Leo to listen to the story, Phoebe told them all about her vision, and Leo's trip to the elders, and the attack at the manor. The three witches listened silently. When she'd finished her story, Future Piper broke the awkward silence that followed with all she could think of to say: "Erm. Sorry I tried to kill you. Especially since you're here to save my life." Paige giggled. "No problem."
"And Our Piper's life is another reason we're here of course." Phoebe grinned.
She noticed that all of a sudden, future Paige's face was twisted in concern. "What's wrong? Is it something I said?" Everyone turned to look at her. "No, it's one of my charges. She's in danger. I have to go to her." Paige did a double take. "One of your charges?" She echoed. "Paige there's no time." Piper scolded her. She turned to Future Paige. "We'll come too."
"Do you want me to come?" Leo offered. "No, Its okay. I'm a whitelighter too you know." She politely brushed him off and smiled. "We'll yell if anyone gets hurt."
The six of them linked, hands and with added boost from an extra Paige, they began to orb to wherever future Paige had sensed her charge. When their bodies were solid again, they found themselves in a narrow alley way.
A young woman dressed in strange gothic clothes, was shrinking against the dead end wall, and a dark haired man of muscular build and dressed in loose jeans and t-shirt, was trying to get to her, but apparently was having difficulty. Something was blocking his way like an invisible wall. Piper knew a protection circle when she saw one. "Hi, how are ya?" Future Phoebe's voice distracted him from trying to break through the protective circle. He slowly turned around. "Ah, about time you chicks showed." He sneered. "Chicks?" Piper commented. "You just pissed off a witch." She made a motion with her hands, trying to freeze him, but nothing happened. She tried again. "Stupid witch." He stared a chilling stare in her direction. "You have no idea what evil you're dealing with." Future Paige couldn't help but snort. "Oh Please." The demon's evil stare turned to an amused leer. "Why don't I show you?"
As they watched, his muscular form began to melt away. He was transforming. His skin was forming puddles on the ground, and his clothes ripped as he grew taller and wider. He had turned a sickening shade of brown, and his whole body had erupted in scales.
Phoebe stood paralysed, rooted to the spot. She wanted to yell a warning, but the words caught in gasps in her throat. It was the demon from her vision.