Chapter 5
He sat quietly on the park bench pretending like he was reading the upside down book in his hand. His body was there but his mind was never at peace every time Andrianne ran out of his sight.
"That must be some book, boy." A male voice spoke from behind. A voice that was familiar yet he just could not remember where he had heard it before. Chris looked up to see the face of the man who owns the voice.
"Do I know you sir?" Chris asked politely but awkwardly as she stood up as little disturbed by the presence of the older man. "I don't mean to be rude but I'm not supposed to speak to strangers." Chris said as he gathered his things and begin to walk away.
The older man just smiled as he trailed the younger man. "You've always been head strong you know." He said smiling as he gestured for Chris to stay. "Come on, Chris. You still don't remember me?" The man teased. Innocently Chris shook his head. His mind was racing about whom might this man be. An old adversary of his father's or might just be a demon who takes upon the shape of humans.
"I'm sorry sir but I don't think you got the right person. I have never met you before and I don't think you know who I am." Chris said and turning away from the man this time he walked towards his little sister to take her home.
The older man kept following him from behind. "You left your book, Chris." The older man said handing the freaked out young man the book that he was reading upside down. "Chris listen, I just thought that you might remember me. I was at your house and your mother told me about you. She told me you had your past memories. I just thought I could surprise both of you."
"How would you know?" Chris said stopping in his trail. "How do you know that I have a past to remember?" Chris demanded an answer from the man before him.
The older man just sighed. "I might have buried a book in your back yard. And threw pebbles to wake your little sister up." He said with a beaming smile.
"Good lord…" Chris smiled. "Nadim Sultan." He breathed a sigh of relief. "Don't tell me that you're looking to date my little sister again." Chris smiled as he joked. "And by the way she still has not found the book yet."
"That would make me a pedophile, Chris. I am certainly not one." Nadim said with a little laugh. A young boy around Chris's age came towards them and hands Nadim a can of coke. "Ryan, this is Chris." He said simply to the young boy.
Ryan just smiled. "I know, we go to the same school." Ryan said while his hands were fiddling with the book in his hands looking for the page where he stopped before. "Oh, Uncle Riley called grandpa wants to see you before you go back." Ryan said looking up for a second while he speaks and then his focus was back on the book.
Chris looked at Nadim questioningly. "Maybe some other time when we have a really long time to talk, I'll tell you the missed tales of the Smiths." Nadim said. Ryan shot a questioning look at him as Nadim just responded with a quick smile. "Nice to meet you again, Chris. I have a strong feeling this would be our first of many meetings." Nadim smiled.
"You're a doctor, right?" Chris guessed.
"Specializing in pediatric oncology. She's a brave girl, Chris. She's going to be fine." Nadim spoke before he bid good bye to an old friend.
As soon as Nadim and Ryan were out of sight Chris walked towards where his sister d brother was, Andrianne ran towards her brother asking to be carried. "Big brother's bleeding." Andrianne said Chris saw Wyatt limping towards them. Andrianne quickly buried her head on Chris's shoulders and held on tightly to Chris.
"Did you do that?" Chris questioned the little girl in his arms. Andrianne just shook her head lightly whist still hanging on to Chris. "What happened?" Chris asked his elder brother. Wyatt just ignored him and walked past him. "Wyatt. What happened? Why are you bleeding?" Chris raised his voice a little towards his elder brother.
"At home, Chris." Wyatt spoke. Chris just stood in his spot not budging an inch. "I'll tell you at home. Now, move." Wyatt instructed.
Chris shook his head and followed Wyatt's lead. "What happened, princess. Are you hurt?" Chris asked as the little girl gradually loosen her grip on his t-shirt. Andrianne just shook her head. "You saw what happened to Wyatt?" He questioned again. Andrianne kept quiet. "You can tell me, princess." Chris coaxed an answer out of the little angel he was carrying. "What did you see?"
"She saw her worst fear." Wyatt spoke as they stepped in the front door. "Mom…" Wyatt called as he made his way to the kitchen. "Mom, I need to talk to you."
Chris walked past him and stopped his brother in his path. "Tell me what you saw." Chris said harshly as he put Andrianne gently on her high chair. Wyatt fell silent. "Wyatt, tell me what you saw." He demanded as Piper came in the kitchen breaking the two boys apart.
"Wyatt, what's wrong?" Piper asked her clearly shocked son. "What happened at the park?" She turned to Chris. Chris shook his head as he attended Andrianne, searching for any marks or scratch that could be on her body. "Can one of my children tell me what happened?"
"I don't know. I was reading. No. Nadim Sultan. I was talking to Nadim, I lost focus of them. The next thing I knew she came running to me and he was bleeding. I swear mom I don't know." Chris said hurriedly. "It's my fault all these happened. If only I was with them, these would not happen. I should have been with them."
Piper sighed. "Everything is not your fault, Chris. You're just a boy. You didn't know about this. You wouldn't have known, you shouldn't." Piper said.
"Bind my powers mom. Strip me off my powers. Do whatever it takes as long as I don't hurt any of them." Wyatt spoke suddenly. "Chris, I'm sorry if that was what you and Andy went through in your life before. I don't blame you for hating me. I hate me right now."
Chris' calm façade blew right off and anger washed over him. "Barbas" Chris uttered the word with such wrath. "I swear I'm going to kill that son of a bitch."
"Watch your words, young man." Piper said. "Wyatt, those things you saw were just things that aren't real. It's just things that a demon planted in your mind. It's not real."
"It is in her mind mom. She's a little baby. She shouldn't have seen it. I was supposed to protect her not show her what the world is like when it is almost coming to an end." Wyatt broke down as he sank on the floor. Chris froze as he heard the word uttered by his brother. "Bind me mom." Wyatt demanded. Chris began to shimmer away but someone held him down.
"Not when I'm alive." Leo said as he walked into the kitchen. "Not while I'm head of this family, no witch in my family deserve to be stripped from their rights." He spoke with total authority. "And you're not fighting this battle on your own Chris. We'll figure this out together."
"I saw what I've become. The monster that I am." Wyatt stressed. "I kill my own mother."
"That was what happened. That was what you were living with." Piper spoke a little above a whisper. "It was never a demon. That was the reason…"
"Enough." Chris spoke. "It's bad enough you have to see it. Please, don't remind me of the day. Not today." Chris' voice trembled with fear and anger that was still burning inside him. "I just wish she didn't have to see it."
Andrianne who was sitting quietly on her high chair starting to get restless. "When did it happen, Chris? When did I change?" Wyatt shook his little brother for an answer. "When did it happen?"
As it the wind was knocked out of his guts, Chris gasps for air. "Stop it Wyatt. Let me go." Chris struggled to get away from his brother as he fought for air for his lungs. "Let me go. Or help me god, I swear I'm going to kill you."
"I didn't do it. I didn't do anything." Wyatt said backing up as he raised his hands as if he was a terrified criminal. "Mom, please. I didn't do that." He pleaded.
Leo nodded at his eldest. "You did nothing wrong, Wyatt. Chris is having a painful flash back. It was today. They turned you today." Leo gently assisted his younger son to the couch. "It's going to be fine son. It's not happening. It's just a far memory that's never going to happen."
"Chris…" Two years old Andrianne shimmered on to Chris as she threw her hands around him. "I'm sorry. I hurt big brother. I'm not bad." She said with her head buried in his shoulders. "I'm sorry."
It was almost like a Chris was handed his life back to him as he wrapped his arms tightly around the little girl on his lap. "Promise me, promise me not to leave my sight. Never leave me." Chris whispered softly to the little girl.
Piper walked into the living room trailed by Wyatt. "I think, we had enough of secrets, Chris. You should just tell us. At least your dad and I should know. Barbas is not a normal demon that we fight off. He have a personal grudge against us all. You need to tell us the important things such this. It's not a burden you should be carrying alone." She spoke as she sat beside her son.
Chris just shook his head. "They cannot know mom. Not right now. These things can tempt and turn people. I don't want the same thing happened to my brother happen to my sister. She don't need this." He looked up with his lids brimming with tears.
"She's going to be fine, Chris. We all are. You're father is still here. Wyatt, is still here. I'm here. Chris? What is it that you are afraid of telling us?" Piper asked softly. Chris just shook his head.
Wyatt sat beside his brother and looked down at his soiled hand. "It was not real. No one saw it. But it felt so real. The touch, the smell, it really hurts Chris. Mom would not bind me but I know you would if it was for the better, right?" He asked.
"God no." Chris replied quickly. "Wyatt, you tried to kill mom, but you didn't succeed in killing her. You were never strong enough. You just hurt her badly. You couldn't finish mom off. I did. I did and I regretted it every second of my life."
"Even this one?" Leo asked. "What are you not telling Chris? Andrianne is perfectly safe for now; nothing is going to take that from you or me. I am not going to let it Chris. What is it you're not telling me, son?"
"The days are going so differently, yet so similar. I don't know. What if I didn't change the future? What if by changing the past I just slow thing down and it still happens and it hurts even more?" Chris trembled as he speaks. Andrianne looks up at him as if trying to understand his emotion. Her innocent eyes moved from one person to another in the room searching for a little gist of what she had no idea they were talking about.
"I promise not to be bad." Andrianne said suddenly as she laid her head on Chris' shoulders and her eyes fixed on her mother. "I wouldn't hurt big brother anymore. I promise." She pouted. Leo smiled to his youngest daughter's reaction. She had always been the one protecting her brother. She was the one who would sacrifice everything just to cover for her brothers, even though it was only in the past.
"Can I bind my powers?" Wyatt asked again.
"No. That was what makes you worst. I tried to bind you." Chris said. "Even though that was in the past and circumstances were different but it's not the way."
"I'm not evil. I saw what I saw. I never could be that person. How did I become that person?" Wyatt questioned. "Chris, it's my life. I should at least know. I know that you're trying to get it out of your mind, but you can't. You can't, not without anyone helping. You can't be the only responsible one. I'm your elder brother; as much as it's my job to torture you, it's my job to protect you as well. Not the other way, Chris." Wyatt paused. "I might be evil before, but believe me I'm trying as hard as I can not to be in this life time. But you have to help me. You're the only one who knows how to."
Chris nodded. It was then he knew, he had changed the future. Only he needed to sculpt his own future d not repeat those that were already written. He had another chance to make his future what he wanted not focused to what he knows. "There are things that words couldn't describe. I don't know how to tell." Chris admitted.
"Mommy look. Fire." Andrianne said excitedly as she saw a scentless candle flickering on the dining table.
"Candles." Piper smiled. Chris' frown turned into a smile. "You've done this before?" Piper asked her younger son. Chris just nodded.
"Me and Andrianne, its one way we talk when we were younger." Chris admitted. Within less than five minutes, Piper lit up purple and blue candles in the living room. "Mom, I'm not going to lie you know. I know what the purple is for."
Piper smiled. "I know you wouldn't, dear. It's not for you. We all need to get it out." Piper said as she took Andrianne from Chris.