Lose Your Mind
*Flashback*
Henry put Paige in bed, after orbing away from the alley.
-Paige, what happened?
-There was this guy, he worked for a man, I don't know, someone called The Magician. –She muttered. –I-I thought he was a demon, or warlock, and we fought…
-And then? Tell me! –Henry was very worried.
-Then I killed him.
-Vanquished him, you mean.
-No, killed. He was human, forced to work to pay some debt. I could have saved him, but I…
-No, no, no. it wasn't your fault, Paige. It was the Magician's fault, he forced the man to fight with you. You had no other choice.
-There's always another choice. –She said and turned around, laying sideways without looking at Henry.
-Get some rest. –He sighed and then said.
Paige slept, but she didn't rest, waking up all the time from the worst nightmares.
*Flashback*
Two weeks later…
Paige woke up in the manor, in her old room. She looked around, confused, and headed for the lamp, to lighten the room.
-What the hell am I doing here? Did I orb in my sleep? –She asked herself. She walked to the door and tried to open it, but failed. She sighed. –Not those nightmares again, please! Ugh, I have to wake up! –She shouted, with no success.
She tried to orb, but it failed again. Then, she raised her hand, looking at the doorknob; once again, nothing happened.
-This is getting repetitive. –She said, angry. She moved back a little and then kicked the door, next to the knob, remembering the technique Henry had taught her. The door cracked open, showing the dark outside of the room.
She walked slowly, looking for the light switch. Once she found it, the room was filled with light, allowing her to see properly. She went downstairs carefully, looking out for any enemies; it was the first time she felt ready to fight after the incident at The Nest. She explored the manor and found the sunroom trashed; there were shards of glass all over the floor, and the windows were broken. She quickly grabbed one of them to use as a weapon if she needed.
-This is strange… -Paige said.
She kept on exploring and went to the living room, also trashed. She jumped over the grandfather clock on the floor and saw someone on the couch. She held tight to the shard and approached the person, a woman; when she touched the black haired woman, she turned around, waking up.
-Prue?! –Paige exclaimed.
-Paige? What are you doing here? What time is it?
- I don't know, it's dark and I woke up here… -She was interrupted when Prue woke up and looked around.
-What happened in here? Everything is destroyed! –She was shocked.
-That's what I was trying to find out, until I found you! I was gonna look here, and then upstairs. –She talked, swinging her arms while doing so.
-Why are you holding a shard of glass? You almost cut me. –Prue reprehended the sister.
-I don't have any powers in here. I thought it was a dream…
-What? It can't be a dream. Am I dreaming? –She swung her hand, but nothing happened. –My powers…
-There's something weird going on, we need to find out.
-You said you haven't looked upstairs, right? Then let's start there. –Prue suggested and they headed for the stairs. –Wait! –She whispered and headed back, grabbing a piece of wood from the floor. –I need something to attack too.
-Why are you whispering? –Paige asked, quietly.
-Well, whoever did this might still be in here. –Paige shrugged.
-Ugh, we look ridiculous. We're supposed to be the most powerful witches alive, or something. –Paige complained as they went up.
When they got to the second floor, which took longer than it should, they were almost hit by a lamp.
-Careful! –Prue shouted and pushed Paige, making her escape from the lamp thrown at her. –Piper?! –Prue asked as she looked at who threw the lamp.
-Prue? Paige? Thank heavens you're here. –Piper said.
-So we're really not dreaming. –Paige said.
-Of course not, Sherlock. –Piper snapped. –What is going on? Are you powerless too?
-Yeah. –Prue answered. –Where were you?
-I woke up in my room, at first I couldn't move, but then I managed to get up and leave. I couldn't blew up my door, and it was locked, so I had to open it with a clip…
-Since when can you do that? –Prue asked.
-Since now, I guess… the door's really old, so it wasn't that hard. Anyway, I was about to check on Wyatt when I heard you two coming up….
-And then you threw a lam at us? Are you insane? –Paige exclaimed. –We need to have a talk about how to approach other people.
Piper rolled her eyes, playfully.
-Well, I don't think Wyatt is here. We are the only ones. –Prue said.
-What about Phoebe? –Piper asked. –Let's go check her room.
Paige kicked the door open again, gaining surprised and impressed looks from her sisters. Unfortunately, the room was empty and the window open, swinging the curtains.
-She's not here. –Prue said. –And she's not downstairs either.
-What about the basement? –Paige suggested.
-Let's see the attic first. –Piper decided.
As silently as they could, they went upstairs, finding a dark room.
-I can't see anything. –Paige whispered.
-Here –Prue said heading for the switch.
-Oh my god! Phoebe! –Piper exclaimed and ran to her sister. She was tied up to a chair and gagged. There was blood in her arms and face.
Paige used the shard to cut the ropes, while Prue took off the cloth that was covering her mouth.
-Are you ok? –The older sister asked. –Are you hurt?
-Look at all this blood. –Piper said.
-I-I'm ok. –Phoebe stuttered. –I woke up in here, tied. I couldn't see anything and then you came.
-This blood is not hers. –Paige concluded. –Maybe it's from whoever trapped us here.
-Do you remember fighting anyone, Phoebe? –Prue asked and the other one shook her head as an answer.
-This is so strange, we can't remember anything about this. –Piper said.
-We have to leave. Now. –Prue said. She helped Phoebe get up and they went to the stairs, being surprised when a man appeared; he was wearing black, and his face was covered by a black mask.
-Oh no. –Piper said, pushing her sisters to go back.
-Stay away from us! –Paige pointed the shard at him, but he grabbed a knife that was attached to his belt. –Oh…
He ran and tried to stab her, but she evaded.
-Run! –Prue shouted and then hit the man's knee with her "bat".
Piper and Phoebe, unarmed, ran downstairs, being followed by the other two.
-I can't… -Piper said, breathless.
-Let's go to the door. –Prue said.
-No, it'll be locked. –Paige interrupted. They were all in the first floor now.
-What, then? –Piper asked, but the man showed up right after.
He jumped over Piper, dropping his knife and trying to choke her. She struggled, but he was stronger. Prue and Phoebe grabbed his arms, but he knocked the younger one down; while he was distracted, Piper kicked him in the stomach, making him let go. She got up and helped Phoebe get up too. In the confusion, Paige grabbed another piece of wood.
-Hit him! –Phoebe shouted, but Paige was paralyzed.
-I've got this. –Prue said and tried to hit him in the head, but he escaped.
-Split! –Piper shouted and ran to the kitchen, being followed by Paige.
Phoebe distracted the man, while Prue headed to the door.
-Damn, it's locked. –She exclaimed as a knife hit the wall right next to her head.
-Try some of that. –Phoebe said, kicking him in the back and giving time for Prue to run.
In the kitchen, Piper and Paige were hiding behind the counter.
-Oh god. –Piper panted. –That was close.
-I'm sorry. –Paige said. Her face was marked with shock. –I-I couldn't hit him.
-It's ok. I know how hard this must be for you. I didn't even ask how you were doing…
-I'm ok, at least I was. I accepted that he was working for the Magician and that I had no other choice, but I don't think I'm ready to face anyone who's not magic yet.
-I'm sorry, but you'll have to deal with that because there's a psychopath in here trying to kill us. –Piper was scared.
-I know, I know. This is sick
-Yeah, it is. Come on. –Piper got up. –We might have something on the basement to protect ourselves.
Prue and Phoebe were chased to the sun room.
-The window. –Phoebe pointed. She tried to jump out of it, but something pulled her back.
-There's something magic in here. –Prue said. She looked back at the window and it wasn't broken anymore, and it was made of steel.
-Come on. –Phoebe called when they heard him approaching. She pulled her sister into the dining room.
The man went into the room, following the two, but he turned around when he heard a noise coming from the kitchen. He got there and found the door to the basement open. After he got downstairs, Piper hit him with a wooden bat, breaking it in his head; he fell on the floor, unconscious. Paige came and tied him as tight as she could with a rope.
-Take off his mask. –She suggested and Piper was about to when they heard a noise upstairs.
-Go! –Piper shouted to her sisters and they went back to the living room. –Prue? –She shouted.
-Where are them? –Paige asked. –What if he hurt them?
-Don't! –Piper ordered. –Don't say that, ok? Let's check the attic.
They found their sisters there, working on a potion.
-Thank god. –Piper gasped, relieved. –What are you doing?
-Stunning potion. –Phoebe explained. She ran around the room, grabbing the ingredients.
-Will it work? We don't have powers. –Paige said.
-I hope it does. –Prue said. –Otherwise we'll be pretty screwed.
Piper ran her hands through her hair, worried.
-He's tied downstairs, we knocked him out.
-Great! –Phoebe said. –Really great.
-The last ingredient. –Prue said, adding some dust to the bow. With a small explosion, the potion was ready.
-Now let's go after him. We'll do this and try to break the door. –Phoebe said.
-What if it doesn't open, like the windows? –Prue asked.
-I don't know! –Phoebe said loudly. –I'm scared, ok? This is crazy! I'm going nut in here! –She took a deep breath, nervous.
-Calm down. –Piper said. –We'll figure this out. Let's go after him first, maybe we can interrogate, or something.
They all went back to the basement, but it was empty.
-No! That's impossible! –Paige said. –He cannot have escaped.
-Where is he, then? –Prue asked. –He'll find us.
-We're dead. –Paige said. –Oh my god.
-Shut up! –Piper said getting nervous and angry. –He's not gonna kill us. Come on.
They went back to the conservatory, where Prue showed the steel windows.
-Who would do this? –Piper asked.
-I can think of a thousand demons. –Prue said.
-What if it was the Magician? What if he's mad because I killed his hunter and wants revenge?
-You said he let you leave, he wouldn't have done that… -Piper tried to reason.
-He's messing with us, it's better than fighting me there.
-It doesn't matter who did this. –Phoebe said. –We have to find the man.
-The garden! –Prue suggested. –It's wide, so it'll give us space if we have to fight. Let's lure him there.
-How? –Paige asked.
-You go. I'll go right after. –Prue said. –Someone get a rope, and Phoebe, be ready to throw the potion.
-No way. –Piper argued.
-It's our best option. Just go with it, please! –Prue said.
The three sisters ran to the garden, each one of them stayed on place, ready to attack. Prue, in the living room, shouted and made noise, until the man came from upstairs.
-Wanna fight? –Prue asked and ran to the garden.
He followed her, as expected, but when they got there, she jumped to the left and Phoebe threw the potion at him. The man stood there for a second, paralyzed, but then he moved and grabbed his knife.
-It didn't work… -Prue said, still on the floor. The sisters stared, scared.
He grabbed his knife and threw it straight.
-Careful! –Phoebe shouted, but it was too late, the knife had hit Piper. She fell on her knees, the blood appearing in her shirt.
-Piper! –Paige and Prue shouted at the same time. The younger sister got to Piper, while the other one headed for the man.
Phoebe also went to attack the man. The three of them fought, but he was too strong; he knocked both of them down and proceeded to try to choke Prue.
-Oh no, Piper. –Paige said, kneeling besides her sister.
-The-the knife. –Piper gasped.
-It's ok, you're gonna be ok.
-Use… the knife. Attack… him. –She said, struggling. Her shirt was stained from the blood coming from her stomach.
-I can't, it's the only thing keeping you from bleeding to death. –Paige's hands shook, and she was crying.
-Please… save them. –Piper panned.
Paige nodded and then grabbed the handle of the knife; she looked away and pulled the knife.
-Prue! –She shouted and slid the object to her sister. Then, she pressed Piper's wound, holding the bleeding.
The older sister saw the knife coming and grabbed it before the man; she stabbed him in the back and he fell. Phoebe got up and went to help her sister.
-Take off his mask. –She said, but when Prue did, they found a man with no face.
Both sisters screamed from the shock and moved away from the corpse.
-Girls! –Paige shouted. –Come here! –They rushed to their sister.
-This can't be happening. –Prue said, kneeling. Phoebe just stood there, in shock.
-It's ok. –Piper said. –You're gonna be ok.
-You said no one was gonna die. –Paige sobbed.
-I tried. –Piper said. –I'm sorry. Find my kids for me, and Leo. –Piper said and then closed her yes.
Prue laid her head on Piper's lap and cried, and so did Paige. Phoebe kept standing up, shaking; she took a deep breath and then…
Then she woke up, in the manor's couch. She took a deep breath and sat down, still shaking.
-What-what happened? –She asked looking around. Her sisters, who were lying around the living room, woke up too.
-You woke up! –Coop exclaimed, rushing to his wife. –Are you ok?
-I'm-I'm good. What's going on?
-None of you woke up today. –Andy explained. –We brought you all here, but you just kept sleeping. It's already 10 pm.
-Piper! –Prue shouted and ran to her sister, hugging her. –You're alive!
-So it was really just a nightmare. –Paige sighed, relieved.
-What's going on? –Henry asked.
-We'll tell you everything. –Phoebe said. –We just… -She stopped when she looked at the wall. –Oh my god.
They all turned around and saw something written in blood:
"I'll rise from chaos and confusion. You can't stop me if you can't even stop yourselves."
They all stared, nervous.
…
Meanwhile, in the underworld, the woman was looking at a crystal ball. She watched as the sisters woke up.
-Do you think this will work, Queen of Darkness? –The hoodoo priest asked her.
-It sure will, it sure will. –She said. For the first time, she showed her face. Her eyes were dark, with blue and red spots, she had symbols in her neck and forehead, and her teeth were sharp; her lips, red as blood. Despite the odd combination, she had a strange beauty, something hypnotic. He smiled, foreseeing her success.