Sorry this took so long, I was having a severe case of writers' block, but yesterday I had a breakthrough, so I have like the next load of chapters all planned, they just seem to take forever to write, I'm sorry!
Mysterious Midnight - Update isn't really soon, I know, but I'm trying! Thanks for your review, as always!
lillynilly - Other than being Nicki's dad, Deimos is this über-powerful demon. You'll find out more about him in the next couple of chapters, I promise. Thanks for reviewing!
PrueTrudeau - Nicki will permanently look like this, so I guess it's lucky that there's nothing too out of the ordinary. Her demonic 'face' is basically her eyes changing colour, but that'll happen whenever she uses any of her powers. Thanks for your review!
.milla-kohana. - Whoa, calm down there girl, the next chapter is here! Thanks for reviewing, it made me laugh!
InTheForestsOfTheNight - I'm glad you think that everyone is in character; I'm trying really hard to get that right! Thanks for your review!
AmyH. - Thanks, I like the way I go on too! Review again, they make me happy!
Chapter Seventeen-
Leo orbed out again with Wyatt, trying to avoid presenting him as a target. Piper quickly raised her hands to attempt to freeze the three approaching warlocks. She was perhaps a fraction of a second too late, as the first warlock managed to throw his athame before becoming completely immobilised. It flew straight at Nicki, so quickly that no-one had a chance to react. Everything seemed to slow down, as they all watched the athame moving directly towards her chest; she didn't seem to be moving out of the way.
Nicki's face was shocked, her eyes pleading, and at the last possible moment she twisted, to try and avoid the path of the knife.
She was too late. As the athame first pierced her skin, she felt an abnormal feeling running through her body, like she was being shaken apart at the seams. Her breathing seemed to stop, her head feeling like she had no control over it any more. For a few seconds she couldn't see the tableau in the living room, the three frozen warlocks, and her three worried aunts. All she could see were pale blue flashes, erupting in front of her eyes like vivid fireworks. They were so bright that her eyes ached, but closing them had no effect, the explosions were still there, dancing erratically as if to their own chilling music. After it had passed, it took Nicki a couple of minutes to readjust to her surroundings. She finally opened her eyes to see her aunts around her, and she turned around to see the athame buried in the wall directly behind where she was standing. She felt her chest where the athame had cut her, to find only a small scratch.
'What happened?' she asked, astounded.
Piper blew up the three warlocks who were still standing there frozen, quite comically, actually. All three sisters turned to Nicki, who was looking as if she were about to faint.
'Looks like telekinesis wasn't all you inherited,' Paige said, walking behind her and pulling the athame from the wall. 'You okay?' she asked Nicki, realising her niece was still standing there, stunned.
'What?' Nicki said, turning to look at her. 'Oh, yeah, I'm fine, just a little lightheaded,' she assured them, as everyone was moving closer towards her, concern on their faces. 'What in hell did I just do?' she asked, walking over to the couch and sitting down.
'Well,' Phoebe said, sitting down next to her, 'you shimmered.'
'I what?' Nicki asked, looking slightly lost. Her head suddenly thumped and the world seemed to swim in front of her eyes.
'Whoa,' Phoebe said, holding Nicki's shoulder to stop her from keeling over. 'Are you okay?'
'Umm, yeah,' Nicki said, groggily, blinking several times to try and clear her head. 'I'm just going to get a glass of water,' she added, standing up. 'Oh, so not a good idea.' She swayed on her feet, falling back down onto the couch.
'It's okay,' Piper said, quickly getting up. 'I'll get it.' She hurried out of the room into the kitchen and returned quickly, holding out a glass of water to Nicki, who was held tight in Phoebe's arms.
Nicki gulped down almost the entire glass. 'Thanks,' she said, more lucidly. 'I feel better now.' Colour was returning to her cheeks, and her eyes looked more alive. 'So, what is this shimmering thing then?'
'It's like orbing,' Paige said, as she herself orbed over to the flight of stairs to demonstrate. 'It means you can travel from one place to another in the blink of an eye.'
'Okay,' Nicki said, slowly as she turned around to see Paige across the other side of the hall. 'So did it look like that when I did it?'
'Umm, not exactly,' Paige said. She held up the athame that she'd wrenched from the wall. 'Do you guys mind if I check the Book of Shadows?' she asked, waving it a little.
'Oh, yeah,' Piper said, 'go ahead. Could you go and tell Leo that he can come back down now as you go past?' she asked.
'Sure,' Paige said, as she mounted the rest of the stairs and walked out of sight.
'So what did it look like?' Nicki asked Phoebe impatiently.
'Kind of like you'd faded out, like in an old TV set,' Phoebe tried to explain.
'So could my mum do that as well?' Nicki asked curiously. 'I though you said she could only move things and do a-a-aril protection?'
'Astral projection,' Piper corrected. She was trying to avoid the inevitable conversation that they were going to have to have with their niece about her father and his powers. She was immensely relieved as she noticed Leo coming down the stairs. 'Where's Wyatt?' she asked him, quickly changing the subject.
'I've put him down for his nap,' Leo said, handing her the baby monitor and sitting down in an armchair. 'So what's going on?' he asked.
'Nicki shimmered,' Phoebe said, her eyes wide, picking up on Piper's reluctance to discuss Nicki's parentage.
'She what?' Leo said, slightly shocked.
'Yep, she shimmered,' Piper said.
'Is that bad?' Nicki asked, looking slightly worried.
'Well, not exactly,' said Leo, thoughtfully. 'I'm just wondering how we're going to keep track of a teenager who can transport herself from one place to another,' he said, grinning in Nicki's direction.
Nicki smiled, chuckling slightly. 'I wouldn't worry about that,' she said. 'I can't control it at all.'
'That'll come with practice,' Phoebe teased, nudging her gently in the ribs.
'It only took Paige a month or so to be able to orb properly,' Piper said. 'So we'll go through the teenage horror stage, don't worry about it.'
Nicki looked slightly embarrassed, and Piper laughed. 'I was joking, honey,' she said reassuringly.
'Oh, okay,' Nicki said, smiling slightly.
Paige's footsteps echoed down into the living room before she could be seen on the stairs. A few seconds later her black pumps came into view and Paige came slowly down the stairs, unsteadily balancing the open Book on her hip and holding the athame carefully in her other hand.
'I found the athame,' she said, setting the Book and the ritual knife down onto the table. 'Bad news, I'm afraid.'
Piper, Phoebe and Leo all bent over to see the page at which the Book lay open.
'Umm, Nicki, honey,' Phoebe said, not taking her eyes off the Book. 'Do you want to go down in the basement and do some training? I'll be down in a little while.'
'Sure, okay,' Nicki said, slightly confused. She left the room and they could hear the basement door opening and the light clicking on.
Piper sighed. 'This is just great. 'The Daggers of Deimos',' she read aloud. 'So what, are those warlocks his servants, or something?' she asked, looking up at the others.
'Looks that way,' Paige said, thudding down onto the couch next to Phoebe, taking Nicki's vacated seat.
End of Chapter Seventeen-