I messed up it was supposed to be 7 years.
Sharpay had finally been able to step out of the office after a long week of giving advice had sucked the life out of her. It wasn't easy giving advice when your ex-best friend waltzes back into your life. She didn't know how what to do to keep herself sane. Was she supposed to call her and reconnect? Maybe she could go down to the magazine agency and pretend she needed to talk to Gabriella about the photo in order to see her. As she walking to her car, a million thoughts roamed through her head about the five year lapse that Gabriella missed. Many things have happened Gabriella missed like family members and loved ones disappearing.
Sharpay tried to erase all the bad things in her mind and concentrate on the good. She was a famous advice columnist. She had friends that loved and cared about her. Her mind traveled to what happened the other day at the coffee shop, and the table flying across the room. Her thoughts were interrupted by an ear piercing scream coming from an ally way. She turned the corner and what she was saw next changed her life forever.
A young woman lay helpless on the floor, but that wasn't the part that surprised Sharpay. A man stood there with black greasy hair and black beady eyes. In his hand was filled with a blue ball of energy ready to throw at the woman. Sharpay didn't know what was going on, but she did know that if that thing in his hand hit her, it would be bad. She stupidly jumped on the man's back, allowing the woman to escape. She fell off his back and he turned his beady eyes to her. She was about to say something, but a whistle came from behind her.
Gabriella stood there directing the demon's attention to her instead of Sharpay. The demon smiled, happy that he got the chance to kill a Charmed One instead of just an ordinary person. He threw the energy ball at her then she called out energy ball, and the ball went from her to the demon in a swirl of blue lights. He burst into the flames, leaving only a worn out Gabriella and a frightened Sharpay.
Gabriella was the one to make the first move. "We better get you to safety." She led her to Sharpay's car and drove her to the Montez Manor. Gabriella led her to the living room where she sat her down. "You can ask any question you want. No matter how ridiculous it may sound."
"Since when did you have so many dogs?" Gabriella gave her a questioning look and looked behind her where Sharpay was looking. She six or seven dogs all different kinds.
"My sister, Giliana, works for the temp agency now. They screwed up and now she's stuck walking dogs." There was an awkward silence in the room as the two thought about what the other could say.
"What was that… that thing in the alley?"
"That's a harder question to answer," Gabriella said. Gabriella led her to the attic. Sharpay had never been to the attic before. Gabriella had always said it was sealed off. Sharpay saw the Book of Shadows and went to it, gingerly flipping through the pages. All the spells and potions in the book were calling out to her to say them or to create them. She felt unbelievable power in her veins as her Wiccan side took over.
"What exactly am I?" Sharpay croaked.
"Sharpay," Gabriella started, "do you believe in magic?"
Sharpay scrunched up her eyebrows. "Where exactly are you going with this?"
"Sharpay," Gabriella took a deep breath before continuing, "you're a witch, and I'm not talking about a wart faced, broom stick riding witch that cackles. I'm talking about a real witch with real powers."
"That can't be true," Sharpay whispered to herself.
"After all you've seen today, you can't believe there are magical powers?"
"No, no, I believe there are powers it's just…" Sharpay trailed off. "I can't have powers. I don't have powers. It doesn't make sense…" She thought back to the coffee shop and if that had anything to do with what was going on.
"What are you thinking?"
"The coffee shop," Sharpay muttered to herself. "T-the table m-moved on its own." She stuttered some words not sure if they made any sense.
It was Gabriella's turn to talk to herself. "She could have to power of telekinesis."
"Teleki-what?" Sharpay asked, snapping Gabriella out of her thoughts.
"It's the power to move objects with your mind," Gabriella answered.
"That still doesn't explain how I got the power."
"Usually, magic is hereditary. Your parents could've passed it on to you." Gabriella sat down on an old couch in the attic, where Sharpay followed.
"What do we do now?" Sharpay asked. Gabriella opened her mouth to say something then stopped not exactly sure on what to do.
"That's a good question. I'll be right back." Gabriella got up and searched around the house for Nate. She saw him in the sunroom playing with his son. "What do I do?"
Nate looked at her weird then finally said, "Are you talking about your charge?"
"Yes, I am. I don't know what to do. Do I protect her 24/7 or do I give her room to breathe?" Gabriella started pacing around the room.
"Don't worry about it," Nate said, "it will come naturally. All you have to do is give it some time."
"Um," Sharpay came into the room quickly remembering her way around the house. Her attention was quickly diverted to the two year old. "Who is this little guy?" she asked picking him up.
"That's Matthew," Nate answered. As soon as his father talked, Matthew orbed out of Sharpay's arms and into Nate's.
The blonde stood there stunned, looking at the child. "I better take Matthew to his room," Nate said and walked out.
"So, the kid is a…"
"Witch," Gabriella answered, "half witch half whitelighter, like me. It's confusing, I'll explain later."
The two women stood there in an awkward silence until Sharpay decided to say something. "I better get going."
"Do you want me to give you a ride home?" Gabriella asked hopefully. Sharpay considered it for a moment.
"No, I think I can drive myself," she declined and walked out.
Sharpay stepped into her white convertible and took a deep breath. She drove all the way to a place she hasn't been to in years. She pulled up into the driveway and got out of the convertible. She walked up to the front door of the mansion and knocked on it. A housekeeper answered the door.
"Ms. Evans," the woman said, "would could I do for you?"
"Are my parents' home?" she asked.
"Your mother's in a business meeting here and your father's at work talking to executives. You may sit down in the living room if you like," she said and Sharpay did so.
Sharpay looked around the living room she hadn't been in in ages. Nothing's changed. All the same pictures were there, same furniture. Nothing's changed. Her parents were never a big fan of change especially when things go wrong.
"Princess." Sharpay turned around to see her mother entering the room. "I wasn't expecting to see you."
"I'm sorry for coming unannounced," she apologized. She knew how much her parents loved their reputation and order. "I can stop by later if you're busy."
Mrs. Evans gave her a knowing smile. "Don't be silly. I just wrapped up my meeting." She sat next to Sharpay. "I haven't seen you in so long. What have you been up to," she asked.
"Nothing you don't already know about," Sharpay answered.
"That's good,"Mrs. Evans gave her daughter a warm smile. She set her hand on Sharpay's knee and from that sweet gesture Sharpay remembered how it was like in old times when her family was together and she and Gabriella were best friends.
"I have something to ask you," Sharpay timidly say which was very unusual for her.
"What is it, princess?"
"Are you a witch?" Sharpay blurted out.
Sharpay expected her mother to put her in a mental hospital right then and there. She expected her to yell at her for talking such nonsense. She expected her to disown her and never speak to her again. Instead, she just smiled and said, "I knew this would happen."
Sharpay was taken by surprise at her mother's calm reaction. She wasn't even that calm. "So, you're a witch?"
Mrs. Evans got up walked out the room and gestured for Sharpay to do the same. They walked into a room that Sharpay hadn't been inside in years. She walked into her grandmother's room. When Melinda Springs was getting old, the Evans family refused to put her in a home. They let her stay with them until she got better. Unfortunately, she didn't get better, but it seemed being around her loved ones postponed the death. Sharpay walked into the room and looked around. Nothing had changed. She saw the dream catcher on the window, the candles on the desk. She saw the book that she would always write in; Sharpay thought they were doodles when she was younger. She looked down at bed stand where Ryan had carved his name. She gently put her fingers over it, remembering it and smiled thinking of good memories then frowned thinking of the bad ones coming after them.
Mrs. Evans sat on the old wooden bed and patted the space next to her for her daughter to sit. Sharpay gingerly sat down and for a moment the room smelled of lavender and her grandmother was reading her and Ryan stories. Mrs. Evans picked up the book and handed it to Sharpay. "It was her Book of Shadows?" Sharpay guessed.
"Yes, she was a very powerful witch," Mrs. Evans explained. "As a little girl, I still remember her and Ms. Montez, Gabriella's grandmother, practicing spells. Now I know it was their coven."
"Does that make you a witch?"
"I should've been, but it must've skipped a generation." She seemed so calm about everything. It was as if she expected for this talk to happen. She probably did.
"So that would make me a witch?" Sharpay asked.
"You never were a fast learner," Mrs. Evans said as she placed her hand on her daughter's shoulder. "How did you find out you were a witch anyway?"
Sharpay explained everything that happened from the other day when the table flew to when she attack by a demon. She mentioned how Gabriella saved her and meeting the family again. "You must have been through so much."
"I have," Sharpay said. "It feels like my head is spinning. Is that a side effect to being a witch?"
Mrs. Evans chuckled. "I wouldn't know. That's why you need to talk to Gabriella about this. She'll explain everything to you."
"Fine," Sharpay finally managed. She hated this right now. She was there in her past that she loved so much, and now she was thrown in this scary future were she had no idea what was going to happen or where it was going to lead her.
She got off the old bed, grabbed her purse and muttered, "Wish me luck."
Gabriella Montez was feeling a mixture of emotions. There was confusion, sadness, loneliness, and don't forget regret. She was confused on how to be a whitelighter because for seven years she's been a witch, and that was still strangely new to her. She was sad because her chance to get at least one of her friends back had failed. She was lonely because so far she couldn't find at least one person that she felt she could be with. And she was regretful because she let all of her closest friends go because she was afraid they couldn't accept her. Right now she was at the grocery store for Ginger because she needed last minute things for Matthew. She was just backing up when she heard a crash.
She looked up at the sky and said, "Why me?" She quickly got out the car and started rambling on to the other person who got out the car.
"Gabriella?" the person said.
Gabriella looked up from the fender bender to see the main reason why she felt regret. "Troy?"