Chapter 2Awake
Piper opened her eyes, hoping that maybe, just maybe, this had all been just a bad dream. She was gravely disappointed to see the small room and feel the ropes still around her wrists. Damnit. She thought. She tried to get to loosen the ropes from around her hands. Just moving them made them ache. This is where I'm going to die. She looked around the room again, remembering that the last time she woke he was in there with her. She noticed a mirror that showed just the top of the headboard. She could see an empty chair sitting behind the bed. At least he wasn't there. She started to call out again, but quickly closed her mouth. What if he was in another room and heard her? Where was Prue? Prue always knew when something was wrong. Prue always helped her. Why hadn't she found her yet? She wondered if her sister was looking for her. She knew she probably was, but prayed that she was close to finding her.
Prue could strongly sense her mother's presence now. She knew she felt her in the room.
"I'm going to break the rules Patty. You can follow me if you want."
"Mother, you can't. They'll ground you permanently."
"I don't care." With that Patty made her self slightly visible to the two sisters.
"Grams!" Prue said as she nearly fell out of her chair.
Pheobe spun around quickly to see the ghostly figure behind her. "What the hell?"
"Watch your language. There's no time to explain. The two of you need to go up to the attic. Look in my old trunk and get the book out of it. It'll help you find Piper, and you really need to hurry." She faded away leaving the sisters there in a shock.
"You saw that too, right?" Pheobe asked Prue.
"I did, and I think we better do what she said. She was scary when she was alive, but as a ghost…." Prue shivered at the thought.
"Mother, are you alright?" Patty walked up to very weak Penny.
"Yea, that just takes a good bit out of you." She stood on very shaky legs. "You go check on Piper, see if you can't make her sense that she isn't alone. I'm going to go upstairs to make sure the girls read the spell"
"Be careful." Penny said as she turned to go to Piper.
"You too." Patty whispered as she watched her daughter disappear.
"Ok, here's the trunk." Pheobe had a hair pin trying to pick the lock.
"Where did you learn…never mind." Prue figured it was best not to ask.
"Got it." The lock fell from the trunk. "Um, Prue." Pheobe looked at her as she picked up the book and flipped through it. "This is a spell book."
"A what?" Prue wasn't sure if she heard her right.
"A spell book, like in magic. It says there are three sisters, charmed ones, they all possess a power and are destined to fight evil."
"What kind of evil?" Prue took the book from Pheobe and looked at it closely. She read aloud the first page of the book. Finishing the last few words…"give us the power, we want the power." She looked at Pheobe see if anything had changed. "Do you feel any different?"
"No, you?"
"Not really. Ok Grams.." Prue looked as if she was talking into air. "What now?"
Pheobe quickly reached out and caught a small book that was thrown across the room. It was Piper's diary from when she was a child. Suddenly she felt her eyes close and could see Piper. She was tied to bed and she could see that her sister was crying. She could feel how scared her sister was. "Piper's in trouble."
"How do you know?" Prue looked at her youngest sister.
"I saw her Prue, I saw her in my mind, almost like a memory. Prue somebody's hurting her."
"Where was she?" Prue was not growing very angry. She was very protective over her sisters. Granted she didn't like the life Pheobe was leading, but she still loved her. She and Piper had grown very close. They had become almost inseparable here lately.
"I don't know, some kind of room, a small room and she had rope around her hands."
Pheobe couldn't help but feel frustrated. This little insight only made her more worried. She didn't see how it helped. It only showed her that Piper was hurt. It didn't tell her where she was.
"We'll find her Pheebs." Prue could see the hurt on Pheobe's face. She reached over and put her arm around her sister. "I promise we'll find her."
Piper quickly closed her eyes again as she saw the small door opening up. Please let him think I'm dead. Please. She laid there and felt him walking closer to her. She could feel his hands on her wrist. He was untying her. Now leave, please just leave. She laid there perfectly still, praying he walk back out of the room. She heard the door creak as it closed. She opened her eyes to see that he had brought in a tray of food. It was only a sandwich, but still. She felt as though her stomach was going to start eating her back bone. She said up only to fall back on the bed. She didn't realize how weak she was. She started to cry as she laid there. She was starving but didn't even have the energy to eat. She was ready to give up when she felt something. She wasn't sure what it was, but she felt like someone was with her. Not there to hurt her, but more like to help her. As the familiar smell hit her she opened her eyes. "Mom." Her voice sounded so fragile. Almost like a whisper. She felt the urge to fight. She started to feel an energy grow inside her. Slowly she sat up reached for the plate. She started to eat as if she hadn't had anything to eat in years. She picked up the glass of water and gulped it down. Just as she had finished her last bite she saw it. The door had started to open again.
He looked at her with a wicked smile on his face. "I figured you'd be hungry." He walked closer to her and put his hand on her face. She reared back and spit on him. She had never spit before in her life, let alone on a person. He raised his hand to slap her. She threw her hands up to protect her face. Her eyes were closed as she waited for the impact to hit. Nothing. She opened them to see him standing there, like he was frozen in time. She looked at him very closely. What was happening to her? I'm loosing my mind. She thought to herself. "Help!" She screamed looking at the door. "Somebody help me!" She tried to stand but her legs were like jello. She fell back onto the bed where she say a bright array of lights appear over her.
"I'm here to help." The man said with a calming voice. "Don't be afraid."
She felt him pick her up into his arms as her body felt like it was flying. She closed her eyes and let whoever this was take her away. Anywhere would be better than here. She slowly began to open her eyes and realized where she was. She was in her room. This was her bed. She felt all the pain and aches that had hurt so bad earlier start to leave her body. She looked over and saw the young man who had his hands outstretched over her. There was a golden glow coming from his hands.
Patty stood and watched. She smiled as tears fell from her eyes. Her daughter was safe now. She watched as the man healed her daughter. She knew who and what he was.
"You're going to be alright." He smiled as he looked at her. "Call for your sisters." He vanished just as he had appeared.
"Prue!" She called out. Her voice was horse and didn't really make the sound she had wanted. She cleared her throat. "PRUE!"
Within seconds she saw both her sisters standing over her. Tears streamed down both of their faces. "What happened?" Pheobe brushed back a strand of hair that was covering Piper's eyes. She tried to talk but no sound came.
"Prue, get the car, we gotta get her to the hospital." Prue ran downstairs and grabbed the keys to the Jeep. She pulled it closer, running over the curb and ending up on the grass in front of the manor. She hurried back inside where she met Pheobe still at the top of the stairs trying to carry her sister. The two of them got on each side of Piper and rushed her to the stairs. Just as they passed though to the door the three stopped for just a second as the lights flickered on and of. Pheobe and Prue shared a look with each other before continuing out the door.
"You're going to alright Piper." Prue said as she layed her younger sisters head gently in Pheobe's lap. She dried the tears from her eyes as she got in and spun out of the yard. Hate had now filled her mind. She didn't know who did this, but she knew she wouldn't rest until she found out.