"Phoebe?" Piper called out, backing against a wall, "Phoebe! Get your butt in here, right now!" She thrust her hand once more, causing an explosion to rock the manor. "Phoebe! Phoebe, hurry!"
"You're mine, witch!" The warlock's eyes glinted and she pressed Piper against the wall, a fireball forming in her hands. "Your pathetic powers won't work on me!"
"Hai-yah!" A scream came from behind the warlock, a flying kick connecting to her face. She crashed into the couch, her fireball flying across the room. "Maybe hers doesn't work, but mine does."
"Phoebe, thank goodness! Where were you?" Piper said, running over to her younger sister, clutching her bleeding arm.
"Upstairs," Phoebe said, gasping for breath. "Just vanquished my own warlock. Make that one warlock plus one bounty hunter."
"This is crazy! I just vanquished one before her," Piper gestured toward the warlock, "and before that one even turned into ashes, she appeared. They just keep popping all over the entire manor!"
"I'm putting an end to this," Phoebe declared and reached into her pocket, pulling out a vial with an orange liquid. She hurled the potion at the downed warlock, and in the blink of an eye, the warlock and the couch both erupted into flames.
"Didn't like that couch very much anyway," Piper sighed. She froze the burning couch, the flames dancing around in the living room, and grabbed the fire extinguisher from the living room. Dousing the burning couch, Piper blew a wisp of hair that fell on her face. As soon as the flames were extinguished, Piper turned to her sister.
"It's been warlock central since yesterday!" Phoebe exclaimed, and then her eyes widened as a thought struck her. "Wait, do you think that there's a new evil convention that we didn't hear about? A let's-all-band-together-and-kill-the-Charmed-Ones meeting maybe?"
"I hope not," Piper said, equally alarmed, "With one sister short, we don't need this kind of trouble right now." Looking around her, Piper checked the damage caused by the latest attack. If only Paige were here, she thought, missing her youngest sister. "God, I miss Paige! Remember her, she with the white skin and the orbing power that kicked demon ass?"
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Phoebe asked, a hopeful smile tugging at her lips.
Meeting her younger sister's gaze, Piper simply nodded in response. She turned upward and, along with Phoebe, called out to their youngest sister. "Paige! Paige!"
Piper and Phoebe waited for the trail of orbs that indicated the arrival of Paige, expecting the blue-white lights eagerly.
A minute passed. Nothing.
Another. Still nothing.
Another minute passed. Nothing.
The grandfather clock in the living room finally struck midnight, its bells ringing twelve times. Still nothing. No orb, no light, save for the dim lighting emanating from the antique lamps.
"That's odd," Phoebe said, anxiety creeping into her voice. "It doesn't take Paige this long to answer our calls. It isn't like her."
"Maybe she's sleeping, it is midnight," Piper replied, though she herself did not believe her explanation. "Maybe…" Piper stopped in mid-sentence, the fine hairs on the back of her neck suddenly stood on end. She looked up, seemingly looking for something… or someone.
Piper. A voice called out to her, faint and weak. Pi-per. Pi-per.
"Maybe what, Piper?" Phoebe prodded, staring curiously at her older sister.
"Shhh," Piper snapped, putting a finger to her lips, "Didn't you hear that?" She strained her ears to search for the source of the voice calling out to her. It was vaguely familiar, but it was too faint for her to recognize.
"Hear what?" Phoebe asked, oblivious to the voice that her sister was hearing.
Pi-per.
"There!" Piper looked at Phoebe, her eyes wide in surprise. "It called out to me again! Don't you hear it?" She pointed up, then to the left, pointing to Phoebe the way the voice floated around her.
Phoebe followed the direction Piper was pointing to, when she suddenly felt a chill crawl down her spine. She froze on the spot, sensing a presence floating near her.
Phoe-be. It called. Phoe-be.
Phoebe moved closer to her sister, the anxiety in her chest growing as she heard the voice call her once again. A lost spirit? she thought, trying to feel the presence. As a Charmed One, Phoebe was accustomed to ghosts and hauntings; however, there was something different about this one. No, not a spirit, but something very familiar.
Help me-ee. The voice floated closer, growing weaker and weaker. Please. Help…
Then it was gone.
"What the hell was that?" Piper said, rubbing her arms with clammy hands. "You heard it, too, right?"
"I…" Phoebe said, still trying to feel the presence that floated around her only a few seconds ago. "Yes, I did. It was… I know that this might seem weird, but the voice sounded…"
"Familiar?" Piper finished her sentence.
"Yeah," Phoebe nodded, "but it was too faint, I couldn't really…" Before she could finish her sentence, Phoebe heard the fading voice again.
Help…Then, without warning, her eyes rolled into her head, a vision assaulting her. The premonition was so strong that her legs buckled. She felt her body go slack, vaguely aware of Piper catching her.
Paige bound and tied to the floor.
A circle of flames.
Cruel laughter floating around her.
Melissa holding a knife over Paige.
The taste of blood.
Number 17.
"Paige!" Phoebe snapped out of her vision. She gasped for breath, the taste of blood- Paige's mouth- still fresh in her mouth. Struggling to catch her breath, she clutched on to Piper, her eyes filled with terror at what she had just seen. She was about to tell Piper what she saw in her premonition when she felt something warm trickle down her cheeks. Blood.
"Phoebe!" Piper cried in alarm, and hurriedly led her sister to the couch. "What… what…" Panicking, Piper instinctively called out to their seemingly benevolent Whitelighter. "Melissa! Melissa!"
"NO!" Phoebe screamed, "She's a…" A trail of blue white lights appeared before she could finish her warning, and Phoebe knew it was too late; all this time, they willingly allowed evil inside the house.