17-year old Paige is absorbed in life, love, attitude and rebellion, but when normal teenage turmoil is turned upside down by something she can't explain, has she pushed her family too far? All 4 sisters. Paige-centric with Glen/Kyle
A/N: Thanks for the reviews…and enjoy!
Disclaimer: Everything to do with Charmed- equals- Not mine!
Chapter 11: Friendly Foe
"Ow" A murmured grumble escapes her lips as we land in a heap on the floor.
"Shh" I warn in a whisper, seeking her violet eyes through the hazy pitch black. "You'll get us caught!"
"I will not" She hisses in my ear. "You're just jealous that I won the race"
"It's not fair. Your power is faster than mine." I grumble, well aware of the pout that has crossed my lips. I sit up and offering my hand to Achlysa, she takes it and hauls herself up so that we're sitting side-by-side.
"Aww, Firecracker…I guess we'll just have to race again" She says nudging my shoulder softly.
Suddenly, she leaps to her feet enthusiastically and pulls me to mine "C'mon"
Racing with our powers has become the coolest way to pass the time, well, the night time. That leaves all the day to sleep, apart from those painful visits to talk to Dr. Shaw, which with something like this to look forward too every evening, they don't seem all that bad. Of course, I'm getting better with my powers too. And can reappear where I intend to and for even further distances…well apart from just now of course.
"…Firecracker?" Oops, daydreaming again. "…You scared to get beat" Achlysa taunts shrilly.
"No way"
"Yes way!"
"No way…" I trail off; something about this argument seems so familiar. A wave of sadness swells up inside of me; I try to swallow it away. It doesn't work and it rises into a sob.
"Hey! Who extinguished the Firecracker?" Achlysa bounds over to me, long hair waving wildly behind her. She's smiling widely until she spots the look on my face. "Hey, hey, hey…sweetheart what's wrong?" She tilts my head upwards so I'm looking into those hypnotic eyes, she's wearing a soft, concerned look which belies her sharp facial features.
"Just…remembering…" I say weakly. "…Glen…"
"Oh, sweetie c'mere" I'm surprised when she grabs me and squeezes me into a hug. It's not a gentle one but that's Achlysa's way, but the affection and warmth is there and is unlike any I've felt in a long time. I told her everything, about Glen, my sisters, Mom, Grams and my mystery father and I can talk to her about the magical stuff too. Achlysa has been the real therapy in here. She listens unlike anybody I've ever known, and she understands everything, she doesn't have parents either, so she knows what that's like too. We're all alone in the world…together. I'm comforted and my sobs subside.
"You done crying on my threads, Firecracker?" She pushes me out of the hug, probing me with such a piercing look that I dissolve into giggles to break the thick, tense air.
"Yea" I sniff the last of my tears away.
"Alright then…ready…set…go…" And she's gone. Her eyes shine and then she shimmers into the air, leaving me to disappear in a haze of blue lights, on her tail.
---
Why does staring at a clock make it move slower? I seems like I've been here forever, a deadly silent twilight zone surrounded by puke coloured walls. Oh well, at least I've got the Elvis shaped inkblot to amuse me.
"Paige, you know, for me to assess whether you've made progress you have to talk to me." I finally peer up at her, she's wearing such a ridiculously serious expression that I have to hold back the giggles "And if you want to be released…you have to make progress" She doesn't need to worry, she can talk at me forever, I'll let her, whilst I'm in here I've got all the time in the world.
"I don't want to go home" I say in an undertone, but she catches it and raises her eyebrows questioningly. Damn.
"Why is that Paige?" Grr! Why does every single thing have to inspire even more questions? I stay silent praying that I'll get out of here soon. Or that Dr Shaw will be eaten by a large bear, nah, kidnapped by aliens that's better…oh, no wonder I'm locked up on some crappy hospital ward…
"It's clear to me that these one-to-one sessions aren't working. Maybe family therapy is required…I'm going to ask your sisters to come in tomorrow afternoon and you can come back then, we're done for today." Great, that is gonna be tremendous fun – poor old Dr Shaw. It's going to be four times the stubbornness of Paige alone, and questioning Prue? I wish her good luck. I have a feeling Dr. Shaw will need therapy herself after getting my sisters and I altogether. Am I ready to see them? Probably not. I think now, I'm beyond anger, I'm so far removed from it all. I don't feel much love or hate, I don't feel anything.
I'm indifferent.
This could be a problem.
---
I walk into the communal area of the ward, the white walls seems to shine by themselves because of the bright sunlight pouring through the window. I see Achlysa sat up beside it, her knees pulled to her chest eyes fixed on something, gazing intently at the outside of the window. I follow her gaze, that seems to burn through the glass and it reveals a beautiful sunny day, the kind of pretty day when you feel like you have to be out there, soaking up rays and spewing some lameness about the endless beauties of nature.
"Hey" I say softly not wanting to make her jump, "What's up?"
"…Oh, hey Firecracker…its, its just, I've got a little cabin fever that's all" I bite my lip awkwardly; there's not a lot I can say. In here we all feel like that sometimes, she grabs my wrist pulling me close to her so her lips are brushing against my ear, "I'm thinking of busting out of here…"
"What? How?" I suspect that I do know how.
"You know"
"Oh!"
"You gonna come with? I think that you can control your power well enough now. What do you say, we could really make it?" She says excitedly. I think I believe her. I think that we could do this. I trust Achlysa, she's my friend and we've become really close since we've been here. It would be great. I would be free, free from sisters, I can take care of myself…equipped with these magical powers I can do anything. I look back at Achlysa, she looks excited and her violet eyes are wide and pleading.
"It'll be great Firecracker! We'll be free…" It does sound good, but the rational part of my mind, wow, I actually do have one, is thinking other things. Where will we stay? How are we going to live, I have some money stashed in the bank…but nothing major…
"PAIGE HALLIWELL" My thoughts are interrupted by my name crackling through the intercom. "Visitors at reception"
Visitors? Then, thorough the pane of glass in the door I spot three familiar heads of dark hair. Oh crap. My sister aremarching towards the door. Prue leads the way, and I see her first. She's dashing towards the door, even from this far away I can see her blue eyes brimming with anxiety. Weird. Piper and Phoebe are hot on her heels speeding through the corridors like it's a sprint race. They are followed closely by yet another figure, a guy, wait I know that dude, it's…Leo! Why has the house handy-man come here to the hospital? This is very strange.
"Hey what's going on" Achlysa interrupts in a high pitch voice. Which is also strange but my brain is trying to process all this chaos, c'mon thoughts, get in single file will you!
"Look its my sisters…I wonder what's going on" Now, all four of them stand at the main door, waiting to be buzzed through, Prue looks like she's popping a vein as she waits for a nurse to come see her.
"Your sisters?" Achlysa flicks her head round to look, her dark hair whips round. A strange expression crosses her face, her cheekbones are sucked in and her eyes wide and she looks nearly as worried as Prue does. It's scaring me. Prue, my unflappable is really worried. I figure it must be something really bad so I start towards the door "Where are you going?"
"To see what's the matter"I say in a 'duh' tone.
"What with the sisters that abandoned you, left you all alone to rot in this place. They left you here to be interrogated by the Ms. Prim Psychologist. They haven't even bothered to visit you since you've been here. A week is an awful long time…some family. They don't understand you Paige, not like I do" Each word strikes like a barb of metal to my stomach, and yet I know she's right really…and it's so true and as the old saying goes: the truth hurts.
"C'mon we can go now, even if people see us, we'll be well away…" She's almost hopping, her black boots squeaking on the floor, "Just us, it'll be great"
I'm pulled between two… I really want to go, to be free of all this. I'm so different from Prue, Piper and Phoebe and that will never change, I should do all four of us a favour and go now. They can get shot of their runty little sister with the 'fake' freaky powers. I want to go, but that look in my sisters eyes…all three them, I've only seen it once before. Two years ago, when Grams collapsed at home, our big sister, Queen Prue hadalways the master of pretending, but her eyes were her downfall…and inside we could all see the lost little girl, all fear and terror, that was when she stopped fooling us all, and we knew what was going to happen.It was haunting then…just as it is now…and now, I'm scared too.
"Nah, I'm just gonna check this out" Despite my feelings towards my sisters, I'm magnetically pulled towards them.
"I'm sorry Paige, I'm afraid we've got somewhere to go…I tried to get you to choose to come with me" Her voice is laced with menace, and I'm confused when Achlysa's face also clouds with anger, her eyes flash purple so brightly as if there wereviolet flame inside of them. As I move away towards my sisters, her pale face which had a healthy glow takes on an ashen pallor. It's like looking at a different person, all traces of the girl that I know seem to fade away in an instant. She pounces forward with a squeak of her boots on the floor. Her mane of hair is flying over her face, grabbing and clutching my hand with both of hers in a painful grip. I glance towards my sisters desperately, panic surges through my veins. I watch in shock as Prue flicks her hand as the door bursts open…but there's no time to question it. The scene begins to blur before me and the noise fades into a one long humming noise, apart from a lone, faraway call, "Paaaiiiige"
The familiar sensation of magical movement takes over my body, but I can't do anything about it, the hospital gradually disappears and I can feel my body fading away. I'm not sure where we're headed, but I have a chilling feeling in my gut…
Then I'm gone.
Oh Oh!...thanks for reading...please review!
