Chapter five

Invisible

On the chilly but promising Monday morning, the van parked and two boys jumped out from the back with their bags in hand. One, by one, the adults started emerging from the van. Piper attempted to hug her sons but Chris ran off. Wyatt hugged his mother and waved to the other adults before taking off as well. Leo, Piper, Coop, Phoebe, Henry, and Paige, entered Westcott elementary school together and made their way into the office. Piper walked up to the front desk to speak with the secretary. "Hi, I have a registration appointment, it's under Halliwell." The secretary looked at her computer screen. "Would that be for Melinda Halliwell or Prue-Johnna Halliwell?" She asked. "Melinda." The secretary nodded and looked at her computer screen again. "Halliwell, eight o'clock. You can take a seat, Principal George will see you shortly. I'll let him know you're here." Piper nodded and sat down next to Leo. Coop then went up to the secretary. "I have a registration appointment for 8:30, it's for Prue-Johnna Halliwell." The secretary confirmed the appointment and told Coop to take a seat. Paige then confirmed her registration appointment for Tamora and Kat. Her appointment was at nine.

A minute past eight and principal George emerged from his office and called in Leo and Piper. Leo and Piper rose from their chairs and followed George into his office. George sat behind his desk in his rather comfortable chair while Leo and Piper seated themselves across from him in plastic blue chairs. Principal George quickly opened a program on his computer before turning his attention to the Halliwells. "Hello, Mr. Wyatt, Mrs. Halliwell. It's nice to see you. You are here to enroll your child in junior kindergarten for this fall, correct?" Leo and Piper both nodded. "Okay. Let's start with the basics. What is your child's full name?" "Melinda Phoebe Halliwell." Principal George typed this into his program. "Female?" Leo and Piper both nodded. "And you live in a joint family, correct?" "Yes," Leo replied. "And Melinda has two older brothers currently attending this school, Wyatt and Christopher Halliwell, correct?" Again, Leo and Piper both nodded. "How many people live at home?" "Is that important?" Piper asked. "The schoolboard sent over a whole new list of questions, insisting we ask each one." "Okay. eight adults, nine children...three of which are mine and Leo's." Principal George nodded and added this info into his computer. "What is Melinda's birthdate and how old is she currently?" "March fourth, 2007. She's four." "Are you still at 1329 Prescott street?" "Yes," Leo replied. "Still the same home number, work numbers, and emergency contact numbers?" Leo and Piper nodded. "So no changes in emergency contacts?" Leo and Piper shook their heads. "Does your child have a nanny or an opare?" Piper shook her head. "Does Melinda have any medical concerns or conditions?" "No," Leo replied. "Is she on any medication?" "No," Piper responded. "Does Melinda suffer from any disorders and/or disabilities?" "No," Leo informed. "Does Melinda have behavioral issues we should be aware of?" "She can be a bit mischievous but is normally well-behaved," Leo stated. "Does Melinda have a special diet or any food allergies?" "No," Piper said. "On average, will Melinda be bringing her own lunch or will she be purchasing cafeteria food?" "Her own lunch," said Leo. "Is Melinda fully potty-trained?" "Yes," Leo stated. He almost laughed, but then realized some kids may be behind and that wasn't something to laugh about. "Are there any issues at home we need to be aware of for Melinda's well-being and/or protection. Any financial problems, abuse, drug or alcohol addiction or dangerous relatives?" Leo and Piper shook their heads. Melinda lived in a very loving and stable family. "Is Melinda currently or has she ever been in a daycare or preschool facility?" "Yes, she currently attends little rainbows daycare." "How are Melinda's social skills?" "Good. She plays well with others, shares nicely, and is kind to others," Leo described. "Hold on, I forgot a medical question. Is Melinda up to date on her vaccinations?" "Yes," Piper replied. "And will Melinda require an aid in class for behavioral, medical, or learning purposes?" "No," said Leo. "Will Melinda be taking the bus?" "Yes," said Piper. "Do you have any questions for me?" Leo and Piper shook their heads. "Okay, great. Melinda is all signed up. You'll be receiving her class information, our school calendar, schedule, and required supply list at the end of the summer, and we will see Melinda in the fall."

Leo and Piper left, and George called in Coop and Phoebe. Once in his office, George took a seat at his desk and Coop and Phoebe sat across from him in the blue chairs. George opened a fresh page in his program before turning his attention to Coop and Phoebe. "Is this the first of your children to be enrolled here?" George asked them, they nodded in response. "Alright. Can I have your names please?" "Coop Halliwell." "Phoebe Halliwell." "Great, what is your child's name?" "Prue-Johnna, with two n's and it's hyphenated, and last name is Halliwell. Oh, and she prefers to be called PJ." "Male or female?" "Female," said Phoebe. "What is PJ's birthdate and current age?" "She is three and her birthdate is November thirteenth, 2007," Coop informed "Going into kindergarten this fall I presume?" Coop and Phoebe nodded their heads. Principal George nodded and added this info into his computer. "And you live in a joint family, correct?" "Yes," Phoebe replied. "How many people live at home?" Coop gave the answer and Phoebe gave the address and relevant phone numbers, while Coop also filled out the emergency contact information. "Does your child have a nanny or an opare?" Coop and Phoebe shook their heads. "Does PJ have any medical concerns or conditions?" "No," said Coop. "Is she on any medication?" "No," said Coop. "Does PJ suffer from any disorders and/or disabilities?" Coop and Phoebe shook their heads. "Does PJ have any behavioral issues we should be aware of?" "No," said Phoebe. "Does PJ have a special diet or food allergies?" They shook their heads. "Is PJ up to date on her vaccinations?" "Yes," Phoebe replied. "And will PJ require an aid in class for behavioral, medical, or learning purposes?" "No," said Coop. "Is she fully potty trained?" They nodded their heads. "Are there any issues at home we need to be aware of for PJ's well-being and/or protection? Any financial problems, abuse, drug or alcohol addiction or dangerous relatives?" "Gosh no," exclaimed Phoebe. "How are PJ's social skills?" "Well, she's very polite and sweet, shares and is kind, but she's very shy and she won't include herself but will let others join," Phoebe described. "Will PJ be taking the bus?" "Yes," said Coop. "Do you have any questions for me?" Coop and Phoebe shook their heads. "Okay, great. PJ is all signed up. You'll be receiving her class information, our school calendar, schedule, and required supply list at the end of the summer, and we will see PJ in the fall."

Finally, it was Henry and Paige's turn. "You are enrolling two children today, correct?" Henry and Paige nodded. "Twins?" Again, they nodded. "Okay, then we will start with the oldest, but first, what are your names?" "Henry Mitchell and Paige Matthews," Henry replied. "Okay, and what is the child's name?" "Katalina Billie Mitchell, most of the answers will be the same for both girls, so perhaps it would be easier and quicker to do them together?" Paige suggested. "If that is what you would like to do. What is the name of the other child?" "Tamora Piper Mitchell." "Okay, I'm going to jot down Tamora's answers on my notepad and enter them into her own file on the computer later." Neither Henry nor Paige responded. "Female?" Henry and Paige both nodded. "Okay. I need their current age and date of birth." "Well, they are literally turning four on Friday, making their date of birth May sixth, 2007," Paige informed. "What grade will they be going into in the fall?" "Junior Kindergarten," Henry answered. "Do you live in a joint family, nuclear family, or split family?" "Joint, with my sisters and their husbands and kids," Paige responded. "Do you currently have another child attending this school?" They shook their heads in reply. "But our son will be starting school here next fall," Henry informed. "Do either of the girls have any medical concerns, medical conditions, take any medication, or suffer from a disorder and/or disability?" "No," Henry answered. "Do either of the girls have any food allergies or on a special or restricted diet?" Henry and Paige both shook their heads. "Are they up to date with their vaccinations?" "Yes," Paige said. "Do either of the girls have any behavioural problems we should be aware of?" Henry and Paige exchanged a nervous expression. "I will take that as a yes," Said George. "The girls can be rowdy… and they can...at times...be defiant, stubborn," Henry admitted. "Thank you for being honest, many parents lie about this. Will they be requiring an aid for their behavioural issues and/or for other reasons?" Henry looked at Paige who shook her head. "No, I don't think that will be necessary. We want them to be treated like the other children, not be outcasted. At least not at first." Principal George nodded. "Are they fully potty trained?" Henry and Paige both nodded in response to this question. "Are there any issues at home we need to be aware of for their well-being and/or protection? Any financial problems, abuse, drug or alcohol addiction or dangerous relatives?" Paige hesitated before saying no because of her son's biological father. However, he was in prison and Paige wasn't completely sure if he was only a threat to little Henry or if he was a threat to the twins too. "No," Paige said. "Will the twins be taking the bus?" "Yes," Henry said. "Do you have any questions for me?" Henry and Paige shook their heads. "Okay, great. The twins are all signed up. You'll be receiving their class information, our school calendar, schedule, and required supply list at the end of the summer, and we will see Tamora and Katalina in the fall." "Oh, um, she goes by Kat actually," Henry corrected him. "Oh, sorry. We will see Tamora and Kat in the fall."

After the school registrations, the sisters returned home to collect Prue and then all four of them met Sheila for lunch at the food court in the mall. "So, what has been going on with you, Sheila?" Phoebe asked. "Nothing as exciting as you I'm sure." She picked up her fork and removed the lid off her salad container. "I was thinking of going back to work," she said. "Oh, what brought that up?" Asked Paige. "Well, Mikey and Darryl are growing up, and Mikey can look after Darryl for a few hours in the afternoon I'm sure." "How old is Mikey now? He must be in Junior high," asked Prue. "Mikey's eleven right now but he'll be twelve in December. He's in sixth grade, so first year of Junior high. Darryl's a year older than Wyatt." Prue nodded in response. "Mikey's been talking about getting a job, wants some responsibility, but there isn't much a kid his age can do besides running a lemonade stand." Prue straightened herself up in her chair. "Is he good with kids?" She asked. "Yeah I suppose, why?" "If he wants to earn some cash he can babysit Payton. She's an easy baby, not fussy, doesn't use her um...charms often. I'll pay him ten bucks an hour, it'll be on weekend days, more often in the summer. If he wants." "Really, you'd be willing to do that for him?" "Sure. It gives us a break, gives him some money and working experience. Out of all our kids, Payton's the easiest to look after." "Okay then, I will talk with Mikey. Thanks, Prue." "Yeah, no problem."

Saturday, mid afternoon. The twins were in the living room twirling around in their red dresses with the black polka dots. The doorbell rang and it was Prue who answered the door with Payton and a diaper bag in her arms. "Hi, Mikey. She's all set." Mikey nodded and Prue handed Payton and her bag over to him. "Now um, she has everything she needs in her bag and this is my number if there are any problems." She handed him a piece of paper with her cell number written on it. "Your mom already gave me your number. If she orbs you anywhere or orbs herself out don't panic she usually comes back right away." Mikey nodded as he slipped the piece of paper into his pocket. "Okay. Thank you for trusting me," he said. "Well don't thank me yet. How things go today will determine if you babysit for us again. The party will be about two hours, so I want her home by then." Mikey nodded and Prue kissed the top of her daughter's head.

Darryl and Sheila normally attended the birthday celebrations of the Halliwell children, especially when it was Wyatt's birthday as their son Darryl Junior was also in attendance. However, they were unavailable to attend the twin's party and Darryl Junior wasn't interested in attending a little kid's party. Billie hadn't been sure if she would be able to make it but she ended up arriving just in time. Victor also came because though the twins weren't his grandchildren by blood he still saw them as his grandchildren. Paige's father Sam and Henry's parents also came. In the past, Henry's parents had always been unavailable to attend the twins' or little Henry's birthday parties and would make up for it at a later date, but this year they were both off from work and able to attend.

While Sam was greeting the twins with a big hug, Paige noticed that her son was sitting alone in a back corner looking at a picture book. The other children were running about playing with each other. This wasn't out of the ordinary for him. Henry Junior didn't spend much time with other children, and when he did it was mostly just his big sisters he would play with. This bugged her because she didn't think it was normal of a child of this age to prefer being alone over playing with other children. She had ignored it for a long time as he was only two, but now being just a month shy from turning three, it was starting to concern her. Phoebe too noticed this. "Paige? What's up with little Henry?" She asked her sister. "I don't know. He should want to be with other kids, it's really concerning me." "What does Henry say about it?" "He said we should wait to see if he grows out of it." "Well I could tune into his emotions if you want?" Phoebe offered. "Would you? That would be great."

Phoebe patted Paige's shoulder and walked over to her littlest nephew. She slid down the wall, sitting down next to him. "You want me to read that to you?" She asked him. Henry Junior nodded and so Phoebe pulled him onto her lap and he opened up the book to the first page as she took a moment to concentrate on his emotions. It took just a second before his emotions became clear. He was calm, a little sleepy as he had skipped his nap, and he also felt left out and like he didn't belong. Henry Junior looked up at her to see tears leaking down from her eyes. "Auntie Phoebe." Now distracted, Phoebe lost her sense of his emotions and now felt only her own. "Right," she said. She put her focus on the words in his book. "Once upon a time on a happy little farm-'

Mikey had gotten to the end of the street before Payton decided she didn't want to walk to his house and she orbed them right into Darryl and Sheila's living room. Mikey looked at her. "How did you know where we were going, you are a clever little girl aren't you?" Payton giggled. "Darryl, you home?" He called out to his younger brother as he put Payton down on a white blanket he had laid out for her earlier. Payton looked towards the stairs as Darryl Junior stomped down them. Darryl looked at the baby and laughed. "You can barely make a sandwich, how are you supposed to take care of a baby with magical powers?" "Payton and I will be just fine. It's only for two hours." Darryl laughed again and so Mikey punched him in the shoulder. Darryl raised his hands and fell backwards onto the couch. "Well this I gotta see," he said. "Laugh all you want but I'm making twenty bucks." "Only if you manage to keep her alive."

Phoebe walked back over to Paige. "So?" "Henry feels like he doesn't belong. Could be because he's adopted." "He doesn't even know he's adopted and surely he's too little to understand it even if he did know." Phoebe shrugged and said, "then maybe it's because he's the only kid in the house without powers. He must have realized that by now." Paige looked over at her son with motherly concern. "Either way, you and Henry need to deal with this now. You don't want him growing up feeling out of place." Paige knew her sister was right, she and her husband needed to solve this problem fast before it got worse. She was about to attempt getting her son to include himself but then stopped as she saw Kat approach him. She watched the interaction.

"Come on, Henry. Come play with us."

"Okay."

Payton was squirming around and laughing as Mikey was getting ready to change her diaper. He unlatched the diaper and pulled back the top. "Ew gross," Darryl stated. Mikey had a disgusted look on his face which was making the baby laugh even more and he had to pinch his nose to help with the smell. "What do they feed her?" Darryl Junior asked as Mikey grabbed way too many wipes from the package. He whipped her butt down and placed the dirty wipes down in the used diaper as Payton decided to orb out. "Um...where did she go?" Darryl asked. Mikey shrugged and said, "Prue said not to panic and that she'll come back." His brother started to laugh. "She's not wearing a diaper, she's gonna crap on everything." A few seconds went by and baby Payton returned. Mikey chuckled at her and got her into a fresh diaper. "She's so cool. I want a magical baby," Mikey stated. "You'll have to marry a Halliwell," Darryl said. He laughed and added, "Maybe you can marry Melinda or PJ… in… fourteen years." Mikey rolled his eyes. "There are other witches out there, other magical families."

"Stop it!" Chris shouted at his sister.

"I told you you're the dog. So you can't be anything else," he added.

"Chris, you are bossy," Melinda stated.

"Well I'm older than you so I'm the boss," Chris argued.

"No you're not! Mommy is. Mommy is everyone's boss." Piper almost spit out her drink and her sisters started laughing.

"Stop being bossy or I'm not playing with you anymore."

"Fine. I don't want to play with a baby anyway."

Chris stormed off and sat in Henry's corner...which only made things worse. He screamed and hit Chris. Piper intervened by scooping up Henry knowing Chris would hit him back. Leo escorted Chris into the kitchen where he could cool down. "I'm not bossy," Chris said between sobs. "Well, actually, you were being a bit bossy," he remarked gently. "I was?" "Yes, but don't be too hard on yourself, everyone can get bossy at times." "I should apologize," Chris stated. "Yes you should." Chris returned to the living room and apologized to his siblings and cousins, while Leo sat back down on the couch. The kids allowed him back into the group. Leo put his arm around Piper as they watched their son take care of things like a big kid.

As the party was coming to an end, there was a knock on the door and Prue answered it. "Hi, baby girl!" She reached her out her arms and Mikey handed Payton over to her. "Were there any problems?" Prue asked the tween boy. Mikey truthfully shook his head. Prue nodded to him to say she believed him and handed him the twenty dollar bill she had in her hand. "Thank you, Mrs. Halliwell." "No, thank you. I will call next time I need a sitter." "Okay." Mikey turned around and started walking away from the manor as Prue closed the door. She carried Payton into the living room where Andy rushed over and took her into his arms.

With supper came a problem. Parker was refusing to eat the cooked carrots on her plate. "Yucky vegebels," she said as she pushed her plate away. "Come on, sweetie. Carrots are so yummy, see mommy likes them," Phoebe said. She put a fork full of carrots into her mouth but this didn't convince Parker that carrots were yummy. "Okay, can you eat just one carrot and your meat?" Phoebe asked her. Parker looked at her plate and picked up a piece of bit-sized pork chop and slowly slipped it into her mouth. "One carrot too," her mother reminded her. Parker shook her head in refusal and threatened to throw a tantrum by banging her high chair tray. "Fine, just eat the meat," Phoebe told her in defeat.

The following Friday's breakfast started with Tamora and Kat annoying each other as both had woken up in bad moods. It also happened to be Friday the thirteenth. Tamora stuck out her tongue and swished it around. "Ew, I don't like that, stop it," Kat asked. Tamora shook her head and continued to do it. "I said stop it." The adults preferred to wait to see if the children would solve their conflicts on their own before intervening. So they were watching to see when and if they should step in. "I wish I couldn't see you, please make my wish come true" stated Kat. At that second… Everyone disappeared. Kat looked around in confusion. "Where did you all go?" She asked. "What's going on, I can only see Kat," Paige's voice said. "Mom? Where are you?" "Me too," Prue's voice added. "Auntie Prue?" Paige sighed as she realized what had happened. "Oh no. Katalina Billie Mitchell!" Kat looked around but still couldn't see her mother. "Mom, where are you?" She asked. "That was a spell young lady, and we are all invisible except for you." "Oh. Whops." "Whops? That's all you have to say about this?" Piper's annoyed voice sounded. "It was an accident," said Kat. "It's okay, honey. It happens. Can you reverse the spell now, please?" Asked Paige. Kat was about to attempt to reverse her spell but then decided she wasn't going to. "No. I don't want to." "Kat, listen to your mother," Henry instructed her. "No, daddy. Not until Tamora says she's sorry." "I'm not going to do that," Tamora stated. "Tamora, please just say your sorry," Paige said. "No. I'm not sorry." "Then pretend you're sorry." "Nope."

"Just great, okay let's all use up a sick day and fix this," Prue stated.

"Yes! Early weekend!" Shouted Chris.

"Can I go to school invisible?" Asked Wyatt.

"Why would you want to go to school?" Chris asked him.

"I like school."

"You're such a loser."

"No, Wyatt. That could expose magic. I'm sorry but you're going to have to stay home today," Leo told him.

"Okay let's make those calls, Kat can you at least undo it on Payton, it will be hard to take care of an invisible one year old?" Prue asked.

"Well okay but just because she's a baby."

"Can you do it for PJ and Parker too?" Phoebe asked.

"I'll do it on Parker since she's a baby, but not on PJ," Kat agreed.

"How about one more time for me, I can't get out of my job and it requires me to be visible," Andy asked.

"Okay fine, but I mean it you're the last one," Kat said annoyed.

Once Andy was visible again. The whole family except him went to the magic proof room. This way the invisible children and Kat and the two babies would be safe and in one place. "Kat? Why won't you undo the spell?" Henry asked his daughter, hoping for a different and easily fixable reason. "I will undo it when Tamora says she's sorry," stated Kat stubbornly. "Tamora, can't you just pretend to be sorry even if you're not. You should be sorry," Henry asked his other daughter. "No!" "Okay, I'm going to the attic. Let's see if mom can help."

Up in the attic, Patty appeared as a spirit in a white light. She smiled ready to greet her granddaughter but nobody was there. She looked around in confusion. "Hello? Who's there? Who summoned me?" She started to think one of the kids had decided to practice their summoning skills but Piper's voice soon answered her. "It's Piper. We have a problem." "Well I can see that… or rather… oh just tell me what happened." Piper gave her a brief recap on the situation at hand. "Well, Kat used the word (I) which means she cast a personal spell, and that as you already know, means only she can reverse the spell," Patty said. "Any suggestions? Kat is the most stubborn kid in this house, strict orders don't work on her too well," Piper stated. "Piper, you don't always have to bark orders at a child to get them to cooperate. Sometimes, letting them talk it out is best." "That's what caused Kat to cast the spell." "I don't mean have her work it out with her sister, I mean let her talk it out with you, or another adult she trusts. Kids have feelings but unlike adults they don't always communicate their feelings well, especially if we don't give them a chance to. Let me talk with her, alone, in her own space."

Patty collected Kat from the magic proof room and brought her up to the bedroom she and PJ shared. Patty sat down on the edge of Kat's bed and placed Kat on her lap. "Okay, sweetie. Can you tell me why you don't want to undo the spell?" Patty asked in a nice calm tone. "I'm tired of Tamora bugging me. She doesn't listen to my words, she doesn't stop when I tell her too," Kat explained. "I see. I know it's frustrating when someone is bugging you and won't stop. You can't make someone do something." Kat nodded. "Sister can be a pain in the butt. You know, you aunties used to fight all the time." "Really?" Patty nodded. "But having a sister isn't always bad, is it?" Kat thought it over and shook her head. "I bet you Tamora and little Henry have fun together?" Kat nodded. "Sometimes I think she hates me. She isn't very nice, always hitting me and making faces at me." "I don't think your sister doesn't like you. I think she just has trouble understanding boundaries. If Tamora joins us will you tell her how you feel?" Kat had to think it over, but alas she nodded in agreement, with one condition. "As long as she stays invisible."

Patty left her granddaughter in the bedroom and returned a few minutes later with Tamora who was still invisible. "Kat? Do you want me to stay?" Patty asked. Kat shook her head and so Patty left and closed the door behind her. "Why do you hate me?" Kat asked her invisible sister. "I don't hate you," Tamora said. "Then why do you bug me?" "Because It's funny." "It's not funny to me. I don't like it." "Oh." "And when I say stop you need to listen." "Oh. I'm sorry." Kat undid the invisibility spell on Tamora and they hugged each other. "I love you," said Tamora. "I love you too," replied Kat.

Wyatt and Darryl Junior were spending their first recess together seated against the school on Monday morning. "Kat really turned everyone invisible?" Darryl asked. "Yep. At least I got to see my grandma. She's dead so I don't get to see her very much." Darryl looked over to the playground at their other friends. "Do you think you'll ever tell them… about magic?" He asked. Wyatt looked over at his other friends too and shrugged. "I don't know," he said. "Maybe one day I will."