Hey Everybody! AstronomyGirl85 back with Chapter 5 of Tis the Season. Now, you get to know what happens after that evil cliffhanger. Plus, some questions are answered. What's the deal with march? What are the girls' powers? Read on to find out.
Chapter 5
Witches? Whitelighters? Demons?
"Feel better now that you've yelled and screamed the fish away?" April asked sitting down on the grass next to March.
"A little but I can't shake the feeling that we're being watched," March replied as she slipped off her sandals and put her feet in the water.
"I think that you are just over reacting or something," May commented as she searched the creek bed for arrowheads.
"You certainly watch the news too much," April added with a wry smile. "You're acting paranoid."
May joined them as March playfully socked April on the shoulder. Then they heard a rustling in the bushes behind them.
"What was that?" April asked looking over her shoulder.
"Probably just a rabbit or something," March commented. "Now who's being paranoid?"
"Ha ha. Very funny. A rabid bunny dying to make a meal of us!" April said sarcastically.
"Uh, that's not a bunny!" May exclaimed.
"Right witches," someone said emerging from the bushes. "I'm your worst nightmare." He paused, noting the girls' confused and frightened faces. "What's the matter witches? Don't recognise a demon when you see one?"
"Demon?" May repeated.
"Yes. Demon. And it's time for you to die witches!" He laughed evilly and generated a ball of flame that he threw right towards them.
March threw her sisters behind her preparing to take the worst of the fire. March watched in horror as the wall came closer. March saw blinding white lights surround her and her sisters. A second later, they were gone and the fire was gone too, leaving March utterly confused.
"Whitelighters!" the demon screamed.
"Try to stop this ball of fire!" a woman said thrusting out her hands. The warlock suddenly blew up in a million particles, leaving only a scorch mark on the grass. Three other woman appeared behind the first.
"What in Heaven's name jsut happened?"
"Piper just blew that demon up," one of the women said casually, as if it happened everyday.
"What?" April exclaimed. "How?"
"How did you even get here?" May asked.
"Who are you?" March asked.
"We used magic. We are witches with real powers. That demon was out to kill you," the one called "Piper" answered. "Probably for status in the Underworld."
"We don't have powers. You've got the wrong sisters," March said shaking her head.
"All right then," the one with the blue eyes said. "Tell me how you didn't get killed by that fire wall."
"It was an illusion," March rationalized. "I saw bright lights and then the fire was gone."
"That fire wasn't a mirage March," April corrected. "We saw it too."
"It was magic. You are witches. Just like us," the blue-eyed woman answered.
"Wow!" May awed. March sent her a scowl.
"There is no way that magic exists. It's a bunch of trickery and gimmicks!" March exclaimed frantic.
"Prue," another one with snow white skin stepped forward. "Let's show them that magic is real."
Prue, the blue-eyed woman, nodded. "You see that scorch mark in the grass?"
The sisters nodded. "Repeat this with me. 'Let the object of objection become but a dream as I cause the seen to be unseen.'"
March repeated the incantation. In a swirl of gold lights, the scorch mark was gone!
She gasped in surprise. Then frowned. "Very funny. Where's the mirror?"
"No mirror," the snow white skninned one said. She picked up a rock and hurled it at March.
March yelped in fright and saw those bright blue lights again. She didn't feel the impact of the rock though. Strange.
"Where'd the rock go? It didn't hit me."
"No, you sort of turned into light and it passed through you," May said shocked.
"She's right," April confirmed. "I saw it too."
"My god. It is real. Magic is real. That demon thing really wanted to kill us! I gotta sit down," March said plopping unceremoniously on the creek bed.
"Yes," Piper said. "Magic is very real girls, and we can teach you how to use the Craft. I'm Piper Halliwell. These are my sisters Paige, Prue, and Phoebe."
"March Baytown and these are my sisters April and May. Our mom liked those months. Springtime."
"I see," Phoebe, the athletic one, said with a smile.
"All you have to do is come with us and we can teach you how to be witches. Potion making, spells, curses. We can teach you all of that." Paige, snow white skinned, replied.
"Cool!" May exclaimed. "I always wanted to have magical powers."
"You always did. You just need to call for them," Piper affirmed.
"I'm still a little skeptical about all of this, but I have a open mind," March said slowly. "Let's give this a try."
"Okay, let's walk to your house and we can begin the summoning spell," Prue suggested.
"Hang on a sec. I remember that demon thingy shouting something about Whitelighters. What are they?" April asked.
"We'll explain when you receive your powers in the safety of your home," Paige answered. "It isn't safe to talk about magic in public."
The seven girls walked the short distance to the Baytown home.
March, April, and May sat in the living room facing the four Halliwells. "What do we need to call our powers?" May asked.
"You need your Book of Shadows," Paige said. "It would be hidden somewhere."
"An old trunk?"
"Right March. Mom's old trunk. She never let us look in the trunk. I believe she kept it hidden under her bed," May realised. "She caught me looking at it once."
"Okay, we'll get it," March said beckoning to April.
The oldest sisters went to the bedroom.
"This thing is heavy!" The Halliwell sisters heard April exclaim.
"Quit whining and just concentrate on carrying it," March admonished her younger sister.
A few moments later, the sisters appeared lugging a huge trunk between them.
"A little help here!" April exclaimed through gritted teeth.
Prue used her telekinesis and got a firm hold of it with her mind. She slowly slid it to the center of the living room.
"Such a convenient power," she exclaimed with a smile.
Piper and Phoebe rolled their eyes.
"Where's the keys?" May asked.
"Mom had them," April said sadly.
"No problem," Paige said holding out her hand. "Lock!" The lock orbed into her extended hand.
"Cool power!" April said in awe.
"Okay, let's see what's in this old trunk," March said opening the dusty lid, sneezing a bit.
March pulled out a few doubled edged steel daggers, three of them with gemstones on them.
"Athames," Piper explained. "They channel a witch's power. Handy for vanquishes."
"One for each of you," Paige said looking at them. "Aquamarine, diamond, and emerald; March, April, and May."
"Next are herbs and spices. Potion ingredients?" March asked.
Phoebe nodded.
March and April pulled the spices out of the trunk. Then, they found a box of vials. Their use was obvious with the ingredients. Next they found a crystal on a chain attached to various maps.
"Scrying crystal," Prue explained. "It is used to locate witches, bad guys, and innocents."
April put them aside.
Then, they found various assortments of amulets, crystals, and charms. Finally, at the bottom of the trunk was a dusty old book with the triquetra symbol on it.
"This must be our Book of Shadows," March replied pulling it out. "It looks ancient!"
"Three hundred years old," Phoebe clarified.
"That's our symbol," Piper said looking at the cover.
"The triquetra. The symbol of the trinity. Three united together as one," May supplied. "I have to do a research paper on the Salem Witch Trials. Now, I guess I'm getting to know more about them than the average person."
"Our ancestor Melinda Warren was burnt at the stake," Phoebe explained. She launched into the story of how a warlock had betrayed her, the curse she set on him, and how the Charmed Ones had brought her back to curse the warlock again.
"Wow!" May exclaimed. "I'll use some of that in my paper, minus the bringing back from the dead stuff."
"Okay," Prue said opening the book. "The power spell is the same as ours. The three of you need to link together then say this spell together."
The Baytown girls joined hands and chanted:
"Hear now the words of the witches
The secrets we hid in the night
The oldest of gods are invoked here
The great work of magic is sought
In this night and in this hour
We call upon the ancient power
We want the power
Give us the power!"
A bright light glowed around them encircling them in warmth. "Whoa!" March exclaimed as she felt the light wash over her.
Suddenly, the light faded away. "How do you guys feel?" Prue asked.
"I feel powerful, confident. I feel like I can do anything."
March and May echoed April's sentiments.
"Okay, the Elders told me that your powers are conjuring, electrokinesis, and invisibility. March, you are obviuosly the one who can orb. We just saw that at the creek. You are the Whitelighter that the demon was yelling about," Prue replied.
"So now do we get to learn what a Whitelighter is?" April asked.
"There should be some information about them in the book." Prue looked up. "The Elders are calling me. I'll see you later." She orbed out, shocking March.
"What the crap was that?"
"That, March, was orbing," Paige explained. "That's a Whitelighter power."
"They can also heal, sense their charges, shapeshift, and they can speak multiple languages," Piper added.
"So, that's why I have an affinity for foreign languages!" March exclaimed. "Ich kann Deutsch und Spanisch sprechen."
"Wunderbar!" Paige laughed.
"I never knew you could speak German, Paige," Phoebe said.
"I'm not fluent in it, but I do know a few phrases."
"So now what? How do we find our powers?" May asked.
"When we first got our powers," Phoebe started, "they were tied to our emotions. Piper's first power, freezing time, was triggered when she was scared. Prue's telekinesis was triggered by anger. Paige's power, telekinetic orbing, was triggered when she wanted something."
"And yours?" April pressed.
"Tactile contact with something. The power of premonitions."
"Our powers grow as we grow. As you saw, I can now blow things up as well as freeze," Piper said.
"I can levitate and I can read people's emotions," Phoebe added.
"Empathy," March nodded in understanding.
"I can orb like a Whitelighter, shape shift, and sense evil."
"Prue can astral project along with her Whitelighter powers," Piper finished after Paige.
"Astral project?" April repeated.
"She can project an image of herself with her mind," Phoebe explained.
After a few moments of silence, March sighed. "So, I'll have all the powers of a Whitelighter?"
"As far as we know, yes," Paige answered.
There was another swirl of orbs and Prue formed.
"Okay, what did the Elders say?" Piper asked.
"Well, they told me more about March. Remember when we summoned Melinda Warren to stop that warlock, Matthew Tate?"
"Piper and Phoebe told me about that," Paige said.
"Well, when we asked her what she saw in the future, and she said she saw many generations of her daughters, she saw the three of you as well. You three are our distant cousins which makes you Charmed Ones as well."
"That's cool and all, but what does this have to do with me?" March asked.
"A thousand years ago, an Elder-who could see the future-made a prophecy that one day a witch would be born with the soul of a Whitelighter in her. She would be the eldest of her sisters and have the power to conjure. She will be destined to do great things in life and in death. March, you are that witch."
March, stunned beyond words, nearly fell onto the couch, eyes wide as saucers. When she found her voice she said, "Whoa! Talk about a burden on your shoulders." She swallowed hard. "I have all of these powers inside me? All the powers of a Whitelighter?"
"Yes. And when you have learned enough, you will be assigned charges. You also have the privilege of orbing up there-to the heavens-to talk with the Elders."
"So my Charmed one power is conjuring? How do I trigger it?"
"My guess is that you really have to want to find something," Paige said, "Like my power."
"Okay," March nodded.
"So the two of us will have either electrokinesis or invisibility?" April queried.
"Yes," Prue affirmed.
"We just have to find a way to make you trigger your powers."
"Nothing like a demon hunt to trigger a latent power," Phoebe added.
"Too bad there's no demon around to vanquish," Paige said. "Yet."
"We'll just have to do this the old fashion way," Piper said nodding at her sisters. "Let's see, electrokinesis is probably anger responsive."
"I can make April mad very easily," March said.
"She has quite the temper at times," May added.
"Oh yeah. She starts screaming and throwing things..."
"Yeah, she's got deadly aim when she's riled..."
"Guys! I'm standing right here!" April said heatedly.
"Yeah," March said without pause. "She'll definitely has that spark of electricity when she's angry."
"Of course she won't take it out on us..."
"Stop it!" April exclaimed still seething.
"Yeah, like that time she knocked a hole in her bedroom wall."
"I'm..Standing right..here girls..." April said icily.
March and May continued on not quite oblivious to her temper rising.
"Took us a week to fix that."
"STOP IT!" April shouted throwing her hands up in her anger.
Only to jump as electricity crackled between her hands, sending a shock through her system.
April swore, shaking her hand to bring feeling to it--only to send lightning hurling to the wall.
April jumped again.
"Feel less angry?" March asked with a smirk.
"Oh, that was cruel." She turned to the older Charmed Ones. "They know I hate it when they talk about me when I'm right in front of them."
"So, my power is invisibility. Great, a passive power," May said with a sigh.
"It kinda makes sense May. You are the shy one, you just want to disappear when you're in front of your peers," April said.
"Ain't that the truth," May agreed.
"I can alway teach you self defense. I had the passive powers too. So I had to learn how to defend myself," Phoebe said.
"Okay."
"I'm a natural born fighter. I even took a few years of karate," April said throwing a few punches in the air.
"As for you March. You are pacifist by nature. It's a Whitelighter thing."
"I never liked fighting anyway, Prue. I always perfer the pen to the sword."
"You'd make a good spell writer then," Phoebe said.
"Don't count May out. She's a good writer too."
"Yeah," May said meekly. "Hey, how'd you know?" she said suddenly.
"I snuck a peak at your stories. They're great Sweetie," March said patting her little sister on the shoulder.
There was a moment of silence. "We are supposed to train you in the ways of witchcraft," Prue finally spoke up. "We should go to the Manor for that. It is a lot safer. Our house was built on a spiritual nexus."
"I've heard about those," April piped up, surprising her sisters. "What? I do read every once in a while. A spiritual nexus is a neutral place that can be used for great good or great evil. It is a place equidistant from the five elements: earth, air, fire, water, and metal."
"Right. That is where our powers are the strongest. Yours should be stronger as well. Your house wasn't built on a spiritual nexus."
"Okay, so we get to go to San Fransisco and train with you? That sounds like fun."
"May? What about your report on the Witch Trials?" March reminded her.
"It's not due until April. It's middle March. Plenty of time. Plus I'm half finished with the report all ready."
"You really get into your school work don't you?" March smiled.
"Hey, someone has to live up to your reputation!" May exclaimed.
"Okay, we have to go check out of the hotel. Can you be ready in an hour?" Prue asked after the bantering stopped.
The girls nodded.
"All right. We will see you then." Prue took her sisters' hands and orbed out out the Baytown home.
There y'all go! Chapter 5 is done without another evil cliffhanger! Next Chapter oughta be up soon! Until then, Auf wiedersehen!