He watched from a distance as the medical staff worked on yet another injured prisoner. How was it that the guards could inflict such injuries? After all it was the prisoners of their past that made it even possible for them to be alive. Women who had come into their land. Becoming the barer of the children of the future. Some women died in birth and others soon after. Some even still survived. But the focus was on the child, especially the males to continue their work. He looked into the room now and watched as his own sister finished the last stitches. He knew soon the prisoner would be amongst the rest of the workers.
"Give her a few days brother. Then she can join the rest of them, but not to much labour the first week or you will lose another one, and father will not be happy." She said as she paused a moment before she continued past him.
He held his eyes on the one in the white room. Her beauty took him by surprise, and he knew he found the one to bring him his children and carry on the family line. A family that had ruled and commanded in Japans army for centuries.
Bobbie paced back and forth as she waited for someone to return. How long had it been? An hour? More?
"They aren't coming back Bobbie."
"Trudy. Why can't you ever think positive?"
"Because I have been living in a hell hole for three years and nothing ever positive has ever come along."
Bobbie closed her eyes as she looked through the bars of their bamboo hut. One by one different women had been taken from the cell. One of them was her friend. All of them where really. She turned and looked at the figure sitting on the bed. She didn't say a word. She just sat there with her eyes closed. Hoping that someone would find them. But Bobbie had tried that for over a year and no one came.
The sun cracked above the mountains and the rustle of feet were heard getting closer.
"Lets go!" the door was opened and the guards grabbed at anyone who was lagging behind.
Bobbie helped one up and then another before the guard could get to them. She placed her arms around one to help her along but not to obvious. She didn't want her to get caught up in what had happened the night before, the weeding out of the weak. Though she had noticed that some had made it back.
The hot sun beat down on them as they worked along the fence. Each one with a different task but the end result was the same: to make their compound bigger.
She lifted the pick-axe and brought it down with weakened force as she dragged it along the dirt. She was hot and she was tired as she looked up at her friend. Somehow they were back together, but she didn't know how long.
Phoebe wiped her brow and held her side gently as she felt the still tender spot where she had her stitches not that long ago. In a sense the doctors in her new home had saved her life. But at what cost? To spend the rest of her life in slave labour? Her side still ached from her wounds and more so after a days work, and her limp from her severally sprained ankle was still prominent. She still held in her heart that her sisters would come for her. But she was still Phoebe, strong willed and strong spirited. Both things that always seemed to get her right back into trouble as soon as she was out of it. But then as Bobbie looked over at her she was one the guards liked to target. And Bobbie knew it was because of her strong will, they were going to break her spirit.
The water came around as it did every afternoon. Sometime twice if it was really hot, and today was one of those days. Bobbie took her small drink before passing it on to another. She watched carefully to see everyone got their share. But as it reached Phoebe she took her scoop and gave it to the girl next to her who just had some. Seeing this, the guards enraged slapping the scoop away from the girl and yelling at the small boy to take the bucket away from everyone. But as the yelling continued Phoebe was soon on the ground as a guard was kicking her in the ribs yelling at her. Yelling that she was not to share her water rations. Saying that if she didn't want it, it couldn't be that hot and that no one would get any water for the rest of the day.
"Go to hell!!" Phoebe spat out with blood coming with her words. Her body ached but she grabbed on to his foot as he went to strike her again. Soon she had him on the ground as the other women yelled and whistled for her to get him, to kill him. Some held back the other guards and Phoebe spun around kicking him in the chest and sent him back to the ground. She knew she would eventually get caught and pay the price but she didn't care. They were keeping her from those that loved her, and she was going to show them what it was like to mess with a Halliwell witch.
She was soon hit from behind and sent to the ground, She fought to stand back up but he held her down. He being the man in charge He was one who was not afraid to get his hands dirty from beating or even killing a prisoner, Bobbie had seen it many times before. And seeing the guard still down on the ground not moving she knew then that Phoebe was in serious trouble.
--- ----
The sting against her back sent out another cry of pain, as the bamboo hit her bare skin. She hung in the trees like a piece of meat in the cooler, waiting for the next beating to tenderize it. Though even she didn't know when the next beating would come. Some times she would hang there for hours with no one even coming to her. Then she would feel the slam of the bamboo now and then as someone, anyone past her by.
She closed her eyes and focused on her sisters. She knew Prue was protecting her and she knew that Piper still held her alive in her heart. Knowing that the plane crash had sent her sister in to a spiral, especially the day it happened.
She focused on her sisters, knowing that sooner or later she would reach them. Soon her magic would work for her and she would sense Piper or Paige, and they would come for her. But she soon was brought out of her sub conscious as the beating began again.
"This is what happens when you defy me or my guards. This is what happens when you fight us and yourselves." He struck her again, this time in the ribs sending more pain through her as it hit her old injury. The rest of the prisoners watching helplessly at each hit.
She felt the pain in her arms lessen as she was dropped from the hook for all to see, only to be dragged through the dirt and tossed into the small ground cell. Big enough for one person to scrunched inside it. It was these times she was glad she was small for her age, even now.
The sun beat down on her with no relief of anything from it. Now and then a guard would pass by and give her water. Only he would dump it on her, with most going in the dirt, as he walked away laughing.
The sun set as the moon caressed into the sky, and with it came dampness and a chill. She pulled her knees tight against her body trying to get any warmth she could muster, but none came as she drifted off in a restless sleep. One in which her muscles where tight trying to keep warm.
The rain fell harder as she ran home. But before she got to where she wanted, she could hear the voices behind her.
"Come on Halliwell. Can't run any faster. Oh I forgot your little legs can't carry you that fast now can they?" she heard the laughter as she rounded the corner only to be met with one of the gang that was chasing her.
"Hello Halliwell." He snickered.
Phoebe stopped in her tracks quickly looking around for her sisters, but they weren't coming. She knew Prue had cheerleader practice and Piper was working on her science project.
It was something she always got from other kids and now wasn't any different. They picked on her because she was the small one. Even in her own class she looked like she had skipped two grades. Though most of the kids there had known her forever and it didn't bother them. Except the new kids. They felt they had something to prove and to take on a Halliwell in their school soon got around that it would make you popular. They didn't realize why. That was if you hurt one of the younger two the oldest would kick your ass, so you had better be able to deal with that as well.
This was one of those cases. He hadn't been in the school that long and already him and Phoebe had a run in. He asked around and soon found out that to take her on was suicide. She was small but tough, and besides that, you didn't want to mess with the Halliwell's.
"I hear you're the tough one in the class. I was just curious how and why they let babies into the this school anyway."
"I am not a baby."
"No? You look like one," he said as he pushed her back towards the wall.
She held her ground as she pushed back to his surprise. But soon he had her in a headlock and they were both heading to the ground. The crowd gathered around as the fight ensued, the bigger of the two getting the upper hand quickly but not for long as she squirmed out his grasp and punched him across the face.
It was then she heard the yelling from down the street but she didn't care. She was wining and nothing was gonna stop her now.
He tried to fight her back but it only got him in more trouble as she lifted her knee hitting right were she wanted to. But she also soon felt the strong arms lifting her off him as someone else was pulling him away from her.
"I told you man. She may be small but she has spirit." Someone said from the crowd as they attended to the new guy.
Phoebe glared over at him as her sister pulled her towards the Manor and up the stairs. She tried a few times at first to go after him again but her sister held her arm tight in her grasp.
Phoebe didn't even look at her sister. She sat on her bed as she was told, yet every muscle in her body ached as she curled into a ball. It wasn't the fight that made her sore, it was the fear of her sister coming back as she said she would.
Prue walked back into her sisters' room and saw her curled into a ball. "What have I told you about fighting?"
"Not to, but I swear it wasn't my fault. I was running home when he jumped me. Look at the size of that ape. I'm not that crazy." She protested as Prue applied the cream to her cuts. Wincing a few times, Phoebe sat silent once again.
"Phoebe." Prue wasn't sure to believe her sister or not. She had been getting in to a lot of things lately and it was getting to where Prue and Piper didn't know what to believe any more.
Phoebe sat silent once again as Prue just left her there, grounded to her room until further notice. She felt her muscles tighten again when she heard the door open. She knew it was either Piper or Prue, but she was still scared. She felt them sitting in her bed the gentle hand caressing her arms.
"I'm sorry honey. I should have believed you." Prue said softly, "Andy came by and his little brother was there. Got the whole thing."
Phoebe didn't move she wasn't sure if she was still afraid or not of her sister. But she soon rolled over and looked up at her. It wasn't long before she was curled up in Prue's arms snuggling into her big sister. A sister who had always come through for her even when she screwed up.
"I'm sorry sweetie. I will always be there for you when you need me. Don't ever give up. I will always be there and always love you."
Phoebe sat up quickly in her small cell, the last words from her sister ringing in her mid. Always be there. That wasn't a past memory, that was different, it felt different.
She looked up and saw the sun starting to rise again, as she knew she was in for another hot day. But she also knew her sister was with her. Just as she had always been.
It was the waiting. It was always the waiting the unknown. She had waited out the weeks that the search team looked for her baby sister. She had waited after when they had finally called off the search. But now as she waited for someone with more power then she to answer her it was getting too much.
Paige stepped into the attic and watched Piper for a moment. She wanted to go to her sister but she stopped herself. She didn't know why.
"Paige, you can come in sweetie." Piper said, as she didn't move from her stand at the pedestal; the same pedestal that held their BOS, the key to their magic.
"I was just wondering how you were holding up. I mean after." Paige couldn't even say it. She was as heart broken as Piper was, but some how she also knew that her sister was more heart broken. To lose two sister two years apart was more then anyone should have to deal with. Especially when they were killed two years to the date apart.
"I just need closure Paige. She was everything, even before I lost Prue. The three of us were inseparable most of the time. I mean sure, there were times that Prue wanted to kill Phoebe, but other then that we were very close. She was our mother and babied the two of us. Always there. But when she died." Piper paused trying to get her words to focus. "We lost so much. And now this. I just can't deal with losing another sister so close together. It's this whole witch thing. If this is the cost I don't want to do it any more." Piper felt the tears once again start down her face. "I don't want to lose you as well." She added quietly. "You are all I have left."
Paige wasn't sure what to do. She wanted to go to Piper but was still new at this sister thing. But her inner demons took over and she went to her sister. Wrapping her arms around her from behind she felt Piper nearly melt into her as her emotions took over.
They stood with the youngest comforting the oldest. Everything of late was a whirlwind. Piper not letting go and Paige not knowing how to help Piper let go. But as Paige looked back on that first week she couldn't blame Piper. Every minute was hope yet it was also loss. The unanswered questions of when and how. Each ticking second on the clock brought more heartbreak. But what hurt the most was that one call. The search was over. They had gone longer then they normally went. But they couldn't go any longer. Planes would search at random but they couldn't spend all their dollars looking for one plane.
"Piper."
"I can't let go Paige."
Paige just held her sister.
"And you don't have to sweetie. Hang on to her."
Piper and Paige looked up at the voice that was speaking to them.
"Prue?" Paige looked on in astonishment.
"Yes Paige it's really me. But I need your help."
"Prue?" Piper looked at her sister. She said she was going to be with Phoebe and help her.
"I need your help Piper I'm losing her. You need to find her and fast. I can't hold on to her much longer." Prue locked eyes with Piper. Her message getting through to her.
"Prue?"
"I'm sorry sweetie I did everything I could but you know how he is. Hard headed and head strong. And her spirit is getting her into more trouble then I can help her with. I'm losing her Piper and I need your help."
Piper held her sister gaze. She knew that Prue was doing everything she could to save Phoebe and for her to come to them now she knew that Prue was losing the battle. And if Prue was losing, so was Phoebe.