A/N: thanks for the kind words, Succubus69 and freakinred! you two are so wonderful! thanks i have a question, how do you accept anonymous reviews? thanks! sorry for the newbie question :) Blessed Be
Chapter 2
Paige turned the knob of the door labeled Paige Halliwell: Assistant Headmistress. She beamed proudly as she read the golden sign that hung on the door of her office. As she walked into the spacious room, the memory of how she became assistant headmistress surfaced, and she smiled.
It was a tense autumn afternoon, and the Charmed Ones just came out of yet another magical ordeal. Piper and Leo was possessed by the Hindu Deities, Shakti and Shiva respectively; and not finding a solution in the Book of Shadows, Paige then decided to go to the Magic School to find a spell to "de-god" her elder sister and their Elder. However, when she got there, she found books missing from the shelves and boxes lying on the floor- there were boxes labeled Spells and Potions for the Beginner Witch, The History of Magic, Conjuring Creatures 101, and Basic Charms and Talismans. She looked around to see Mrs. Winterbourne and a handful of other teachers pulling magical texts and tomes from shelves and boxing them up.
"What's going on in here?" she asked quite sternly.
"Isn't it obvious?" a male teacher retorted, "We're closing down the school!"
"B...but..." Paige stammered, "But, why? Who's going to teach the next generation of witches? How will they learn good magic if you close down the school?"
"Sigh," Mrs. Winterbourne stopped packing books and finally turned to Paige, "We share your concerns, Paige, we really do...but, without Gideon, there's no one left to take care of the school. Look, like him or not, Gideon was the only Elder who was really passionate about maintaining the school." Mrs. Winterbourne gingerly took Paige's hands in hers, and sympathetically added, "I know how zealous you are about the Magic School, Paige. I remember how you love teaching. But, without Gideon, there's no one left to fight for the school. There's nothing much we can do. I'm sorry." Reluctantly, she left Paige to wonder about that as she returned to packing more books.
"Not while I'm still around," and with that, she hurriedly orbed out, reappearing in- the Elder-land (Up There). Steadying herself, Paige called out to the Elders, hoping to let them see the importance and significance of the Magic School in the magical community. Squinting against the brightness, Paige waited for her eyes to adjust to her new surroundings.
"Click-clack," a Whitelighter squealed as she saw a Charmed One in their sanctuary. "What are you doing here?" she asked her in English.
"Oh...I...I need to see the Elders," she said, "Please! Now! It's urgent!"
"Right away then!" the Whitelighter answered, sensing the urgency in Paige's voice. Running toward the set of huge golden doors, the Whitelighter left Paige in search of an Elder.
Minutes later, the Whitelighter walked toward Paige with an Elder behind her.
"Elder!" Paige exclaimed.
"What is this about, Charmed One?" the Elder asked her, looking at Paige from beneath her robes.
"It's about the Magic School, Elder," Paige stuttered, "You can't let the school close down, you MUST not let it close down."
"You dare tell us what we can or cannot do, Halliwell witch?" the Elder looked at her severely, clearly surprised at Paige's gall and chutzpah. "Our word is law, witch, do not forget that."
"I...I mean no disrespect Elder," Paige cried out in desperation, "but I beg you to reconsider your decision about the school. The school plays an important role in the magical community...w...without it, the next generation of witches wont have any place to learn their Craft! Please, listen to reason!"
The Elder in front of Paige scratched her chin, thinking about what Paige just said. "Very well," the Elder said, considering what she just heard, "I will convene with the other Elders. Elizabeth," she motioned for the young Whitelighter, "we wish to be undisturbed." She glanced at Paige and gave her a quick nod. Turning around, she hurriedly walked over to the golden doors from which she came out of earlier.
"And she finally came out of those doors and agreed to keep the school open," Paige smiled proudly. "IF and only IF you can run the school smoothly, AND you must retain the name Halliwell, for this is what indicates that you are a Charmed One." The conditions of the Elder echoed in Paige's ears. She remembered protesting to the Elders, that she was Halliwell-Matthews, but the Elders' decision remained. "Fine, I'll be Miss Halliwell." Paige threw her arms up in defeat.
"Let's just hope my class doesn't make me think of going back to the past and changing my decision."