Charmed, Leo, Piper, Phoebe, Paige, Chris, Wyatt, Cole, and Jason all
belong to their respective owners. Psyche, Marcus, and Professor Hawkins
belong to me. You know the rest. Enjoy.
Psyche pulled her hair back into a tight bun. Nothing she was going to do to it would make it look better, anyway, so why bother? Most of the school looked on her as some lower life form, even though she was the first daughter of a Charmed one. Only Wyatt and Marc treated her any better, and Marc only treated her nicely because it would have been beneath him to treat anyone rudely. Even her cousin Chris, the closest to her age, treated her as if she was dirt. Chris was worse than anyone.
Who had thought fit to give her this stupid name? The premonition her surrogate mom had had at her birth, the one showing her of her so-called past life where she was the most beautiful woman in the world, must be wrong. So her name was just another coal to feed the fire at this school where everyone knew her history.
The history of her parents' crash and burn relationship. When her mom got pregnant, her brother's power had been so overwhelming that she had gone undetected by everyone but her father. Cole knew that when Phoebe got pregnant with the Source's child, there would be another child too, the one formed from Balthazar/Cole and Phoebe. A child of great power, but uncertain destiny. Rather than destroy his child, he performed a secret ritual that froze her.
To hide her in plain sight, he had the little bottle she was frozen in put in a grouping with test tube babies. In an unforeseen oversight, some medic had grabbed the wrong tube, and voila! The daughter of a cursed demon and one of the greatest forces of good there was. And wasn't it just wonderful to attend a school whose focus was killing all of demonkind when you were the daughter of one of the most notorious demons in history?
By the time her surrogate mom discovered that she had the wrong child, it was too late to do anything about it. She waited until Psyche was born, named her, and dumped her in an orphanage as quickly as possible. Growing up, feeling different from everyone else had warped her mind, separating Psyche even more in a place where people were separated already. Until Wyatt found her. She and Wyatt recognized each other instantly, despite the fact that they'd never met. It was the first time she'd trusted anyone.
Her mom tried to connect with her too, but it was too late for that. Psyche was beyond trusting adults by then. She had been scarred too much. And she felt every time her mother looked at her, all she saw was Cole. It didn't help that she had his dark curly hair and green eyes. Her eyes were darker, though. Unnaturally dark, like a deep forest green, striking against her pale face. It seemed that Psyche was the only one in her family who had inherited the ugly genes. Her face was too freckled, her braces made her look monstrous, and she was awkwardly shaped.
Marcus. Marcus was nice to her, without even being related to her. But Psyche inherently felt his pity for her and resented it to the point where she was rude every time she saw him. And then she got mad at herself, because she knew she didn't have enough friends to be rude to the few people who were unconditionally nice.
At least Chris was completely honest. He resented her, and looked down on her parentage. He made no secret of the fact, even in front of their family. And Psyche was very happily rude back to him, although Wyatt tried to stop their arguments.
Psyche loved Wyatt more than anyone. She would do almost anything for him, short of being nice to Chris, although she tried every once in a while. He had gotten her out of that hellhole of a foster home when she was almost fourteen, had shown her an entirely new world. She had spent the past two summers at her mother's home and the rest of the time at this cursed school. At school she had lessons to keep her busy, and during the summer it was easy enough to disappear, showing up only for meals, although her mom tried to make it otherwise.
Psyche was in the training room, practicing bodily combat when the elder in charge of the school, Professor Hawkins, approached her.
"Psyche, I've arranged a summer project for you if you wish to take it. I have a friend in France, a witch whose expertise in curses is almost unparalleled. You've shown so much promise in that area that I felt some special attention might be beneficial. Would you like to go?"
Psyche flushed. Her powers, and especially curses, were the one thing she excelled at. Despite her late training, she showed more skill in witchcraft than almost anyone she knew except Wyatt. She knew that various theories were running by the ring of elders, and almost anyone who had heard of her lineage, as to where her powers were most strongly derived from, but no one had dared say anything to her. That Professor Hawkins would show so much faith in her boosted her security. "Are you kidding?! I'd love to!"
the next fall......
A beautiful girl, all curves and long dark hair, poked her head into Chris' room. "Hey, we've got to meet back at the manor for supper tonight. Some sort of family shindig. 7 o'clock."
Chris looked at her blankly, not recognizing her. "What?"
Psyche sighed impatiently. "Dinner, seven, manor. Is that clear enough for you? I'd spell it out, but I'm none too sure you'd understand something without pictures."
Finally getting it, Chris looked shocked. "Psyche? What happened to you?"
Psyche had most definitely changed. Her body had finally filled out, her skin was almost completely clear, with a few freckles, and her braces were gone. She nonchalantly smoothed her black leather miniskirt, worn with a white halter-top and short black nail-studded boots. "I got my braces off, and got some new clothes while I was in Paris, ok? Marcus is invited, too, ok? Think you can remember that?"
Chris nodded, still stunned by the change. "Um, yeah, sure, ok. See you at seven."
Psyche walked off, brushing lightly past Marc in the hall, who stared after her, puzzled.
"Hey, Chris, who was- Psyche? What did she do this summer?"
Chris shrugged. "I don't know. Guess we'll find out at supper."
Marc sank down into his chair, shocked. He had always liked Psyche, and yeah, felt sorry for her. She was so closed off from everyone. But he knew she resented being pitied, and so she avoided him as often as she could. And now- Well, it might make her life easier. Now that she was as beautiful as her namesake.
Dinner that night was easier than usual. Psyche sat next to Wyatt, who got her to speak more naturally than she would had he not been there. Phoebe tried not to look directly at her daughter, because Psyche would have found some excuse not to be there if she felt pressured to be 'normal'. Jason and Psyche were pretty good friends, mainly because his expectations of her were slight. Chris sat there, making comments in the conversation from time to time, trying to get Marc to say something, but Marc was too busy watching Psyche to say much. Piper, Paige and Leo tried to keep Phoebe occupied while they were eating.
Afterwards, they all cleared to the living room. Their lives had been fairly peaceful lately, giving them room to just sit back. Psyche sat in the corner mixing a potion, murmuring instructions in French to herself, Chris, Wyatt, Jason and Leo played Risk, the sisters watched a movie in the next room, and Marcus pretended to read while sneaking glances at Psyche every few minutes.
The evening ended quietly, everyone dispersing late. Psyche finished her potion and left, Marcus offering to go with her. Wyatt's fraternal instincts acted up at this, following them, Chris following him. Phoebe and Jason left, Jason trying to cheer Phoebe up, Paige went home, and Piper and Leo went to bed.
Psyche pulled her hair back into a tight bun. Nothing she was going to do to it would make it look better, anyway, so why bother? Most of the school looked on her as some lower life form, even though she was the first daughter of a Charmed one. Only Wyatt and Marc treated her any better, and Marc only treated her nicely because it would have been beneath him to treat anyone rudely. Even her cousin Chris, the closest to her age, treated her as if she was dirt. Chris was worse than anyone.
Who had thought fit to give her this stupid name? The premonition her surrogate mom had had at her birth, the one showing her of her so-called past life where she was the most beautiful woman in the world, must be wrong. So her name was just another coal to feed the fire at this school where everyone knew her history.
The history of her parents' crash and burn relationship. When her mom got pregnant, her brother's power had been so overwhelming that she had gone undetected by everyone but her father. Cole knew that when Phoebe got pregnant with the Source's child, there would be another child too, the one formed from Balthazar/Cole and Phoebe. A child of great power, but uncertain destiny. Rather than destroy his child, he performed a secret ritual that froze her.
To hide her in plain sight, he had the little bottle she was frozen in put in a grouping with test tube babies. In an unforeseen oversight, some medic had grabbed the wrong tube, and voila! The daughter of a cursed demon and one of the greatest forces of good there was. And wasn't it just wonderful to attend a school whose focus was killing all of demonkind when you were the daughter of one of the most notorious demons in history?
By the time her surrogate mom discovered that she had the wrong child, it was too late to do anything about it. She waited until Psyche was born, named her, and dumped her in an orphanage as quickly as possible. Growing up, feeling different from everyone else had warped her mind, separating Psyche even more in a place where people were separated already. Until Wyatt found her. She and Wyatt recognized each other instantly, despite the fact that they'd never met. It was the first time she'd trusted anyone.
Her mom tried to connect with her too, but it was too late for that. Psyche was beyond trusting adults by then. She had been scarred too much. And she felt every time her mother looked at her, all she saw was Cole. It didn't help that she had his dark curly hair and green eyes. Her eyes were darker, though. Unnaturally dark, like a deep forest green, striking against her pale face. It seemed that Psyche was the only one in her family who had inherited the ugly genes. Her face was too freckled, her braces made her look monstrous, and she was awkwardly shaped.
Marcus. Marcus was nice to her, without even being related to her. But Psyche inherently felt his pity for her and resented it to the point where she was rude every time she saw him. And then she got mad at herself, because she knew she didn't have enough friends to be rude to the few people who were unconditionally nice.
At least Chris was completely honest. He resented her, and looked down on her parentage. He made no secret of the fact, even in front of their family. And Psyche was very happily rude back to him, although Wyatt tried to stop their arguments.
Psyche loved Wyatt more than anyone. She would do almost anything for him, short of being nice to Chris, although she tried every once in a while. He had gotten her out of that hellhole of a foster home when she was almost fourteen, had shown her an entirely new world. She had spent the past two summers at her mother's home and the rest of the time at this cursed school. At school she had lessons to keep her busy, and during the summer it was easy enough to disappear, showing up only for meals, although her mom tried to make it otherwise.
Psyche was in the training room, practicing bodily combat when the elder in charge of the school, Professor Hawkins, approached her.
"Psyche, I've arranged a summer project for you if you wish to take it. I have a friend in France, a witch whose expertise in curses is almost unparalleled. You've shown so much promise in that area that I felt some special attention might be beneficial. Would you like to go?"
Psyche flushed. Her powers, and especially curses, were the one thing she excelled at. Despite her late training, she showed more skill in witchcraft than almost anyone she knew except Wyatt. She knew that various theories were running by the ring of elders, and almost anyone who had heard of her lineage, as to where her powers were most strongly derived from, but no one had dared say anything to her. That Professor Hawkins would show so much faith in her boosted her security. "Are you kidding?! I'd love to!"
the next fall......
A beautiful girl, all curves and long dark hair, poked her head into Chris' room. "Hey, we've got to meet back at the manor for supper tonight. Some sort of family shindig. 7 o'clock."
Chris looked at her blankly, not recognizing her. "What?"
Psyche sighed impatiently. "Dinner, seven, manor. Is that clear enough for you? I'd spell it out, but I'm none too sure you'd understand something without pictures."
Finally getting it, Chris looked shocked. "Psyche? What happened to you?"
Psyche had most definitely changed. Her body had finally filled out, her skin was almost completely clear, with a few freckles, and her braces were gone. She nonchalantly smoothed her black leather miniskirt, worn with a white halter-top and short black nail-studded boots. "I got my braces off, and got some new clothes while I was in Paris, ok? Marcus is invited, too, ok? Think you can remember that?"
Chris nodded, still stunned by the change. "Um, yeah, sure, ok. See you at seven."
Psyche walked off, brushing lightly past Marc in the hall, who stared after her, puzzled.
"Hey, Chris, who was- Psyche? What did she do this summer?"
Chris shrugged. "I don't know. Guess we'll find out at supper."
Marc sank down into his chair, shocked. He had always liked Psyche, and yeah, felt sorry for her. She was so closed off from everyone. But he knew she resented being pitied, and so she avoided him as often as she could. And now- Well, it might make her life easier. Now that she was as beautiful as her namesake.
Dinner that night was easier than usual. Psyche sat next to Wyatt, who got her to speak more naturally than she would had he not been there. Phoebe tried not to look directly at her daughter, because Psyche would have found some excuse not to be there if she felt pressured to be 'normal'. Jason and Psyche were pretty good friends, mainly because his expectations of her were slight. Chris sat there, making comments in the conversation from time to time, trying to get Marc to say something, but Marc was too busy watching Psyche to say much. Piper, Paige and Leo tried to keep Phoebe occupied while they were eating.
Afterwards, they all cleared to the living room. Their lives had been fairly peaceful lately, giving them room to just sit back. Psyche sat in the corner mixing a potion, murmuring instructions in French to herself, Chris, Wyatt, Jason and Leo played Risk, the sisters watched a movie in the next room, and Marcus pretended to read while sneaking glances at Psyche every few minutes.
The evening ended quietly, everyone dispersing late. Psyche finished her potion and left, Marcus offering to go with her. Wyatt's fraternal instincts acted up at this, following them, Chris following him. Phoebe and Jason left, Jason trying to cheer Phoebe up, Paige went home, and Piper and Leo went to bed.