Chapter 2

14 years later

Prudence Halliwell – Wyatt pulled her raven black hair into a sleek ponytail. She added a coat of mascara to thick eyelashes that fanned around her chocolate brown eyes.

"Prudence!" A fake-shrill voice called.

"It's Prue," she muttered. Out loud she cried, "Coming!" She picked up her school bag, jogged out her bedroom and bounced down the stairs.

"Ooh, someone's chirpy this morning. What did you and Matt get up to last night?" Patience, Prue's youngest sister teased.

"You're too young to know," Prue joked, smiling at the image of her boyfriend.

"Eww! Disgusting mental image," Patience protested, leading Prue into the kitchen.

"Of what?" Paris, Prue and Patience's sister asked. "On second thoughts, I don't wanna know," she said, reading the look on her sisters' faces.

"Probably a good idea." Prue patted her younger sister's blonde hair and settled in a seat at the kitchen table.

"Where're Mom and Dad?" Patience asked, suddenly noticing the absence of her mother and father.

"Mom is right here," Piper replied, stepping into the kitchen. "Your dad is away on business."

"Where?"

"For how long?"

"He didn't even say goodbye!"

Piper chuckled at her daughters' explosion of noise. "He had to leave in the middle of the night. A couple of day in San Diego," Piper replied, answering the questions in reverse order. "Now, who wants breakfast?" Piper's tone was light to hide the fact that her heart was breaking. She hated the fact that her husband, Leo, could not spend as much time with his family as he would have liked, but his job was literally a matter of life or death.

"I've got cheerleading practice, so I'll grab some fruit," Prue replied.

"Me too," I'm studying in the library," Patience said.

"I'd better be going now actually," Prue said. "D'you want a lift?" she offered her younger sisters.

"Please," Patience said.

"If you don't mind" Paris said.

"O.K then. Let's go." Prue rose from the table.

The Halliwell – Wyatt sisters said goodbye to their mother. They climbed into seventeen – years old Prue's car and headed for school.

All three sisters were very different. Prue was a cheerleader, popular, with a large group of friends. Paris was sixteen and just a normal teenager with a fair few friends. Fourteen –year – old Patience was shy and awkward with a few close friends.

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Later that day Patience was sitting in the canteen with her one of her friends, Ben.

"There's your sister." Ben indicated to where Paris was sitting with her friends.

"Really? Are you sure? I don't think I've ever seen her before," Patience replied sarcastically. She glanced over at her friend who was staring at Paris. "I recognise that look. You fancy Paris, don't you?"

"What?" Ben's gaze sprung from Paris to Patience. "Of course not!" he protested, his cheeks turning bright red.

"You do!"

"Alright freaks?" A sneering voice interrupted the friends' conversation.

"Missy," Patience said coldly.

"That's not very friendly, is it brace face?"

"Please Missy, we don't want to fight," Ben said.

"Oh, neither do we. I just wanted to give you something," Missy said sweetly. With that she bent forward, and placed a hand near Patience's food tray. She made a slight hand movement, tipping the tray and its contents all over Patience's lap.

"You...!" Patience screamed, restraining herself from swearing. She jumped to her feet. She swung her arm back and was just about to bring it forward when a firm hand gripped her arm. She spun around to see Prue drop her arm.

"Don't, she's not worth it," Prue muttered.

"Let us deal with her," Paris added from behind Prue.

Patience nodded, wiping the food from her clothes.

"Why are you sticking up for a loser like her?" Missy asked. The cronies behind her snickered.

"That 'loser' is our little sister," Prue replied.

"W…what?" Missy stammered.

"Our little sister," Paris repeated.

"I…I had no idea."

"Clearly. And clearly you have no idea how to embarrass someone. Chucking food over them? So sixth grade," Prue shot back.

"Very immature," Paris agreed.

The whole canteen erupted into laughter as an embarrassed Missy scuttled off. Patience smiled gratefully at her older siblings. The bond between the Halliwell – Wyatts has never been stronger.