Hey guys! So, I'll probably make tiny little 'ficlets' in between chapters, just to extend my not go crazy span, and to explain a little history. So here's the first minisode. Also, I thank whoever came up with the idea that there are special whitelighters who make sacrifices and get special cases.
Cari sat in the Halliwell living room, looking at the small photograph as a tear rolled down her check. She was here fairly often- half her charges happened to live in this house. She was just checking in. But the picture had fallen out, and now she was stuck in memory-ville.
Piper Halliwell walked into the living room. She had been cooking when she noticed the tell-tale sound that meant a whitelighter or witchlighter was orbing in. You had witchlighters for children, you had a witchlighter for a sister and witchlighter nieces, been a witch for years and had your husband for a whitelighter-well, you learned how to tell. But when she never heard the orb out, she had gotten concerned. She had certainly not expected to see Cari Wilson, her children's physically 14 year old whitelighter, crying in the middle of her living room.
"Cari, you ok?" The older witch asked carefully.
Cari jumped probably about three feet in the air before realizing who it was. "Oh, Piper, it's you. I'm sorry, I was just leaving…"
"What's that?" Piper asked, pointing to the picture.
Cari looked down at the picture as more tears sprang to her eyes. "Just…Just a picture,"
"Of what?" Piper asked, giving her the third degree.
Cari sighed and decided to tell the truth. "Of my friends before I died," she sat down on the couch. Piper sat down beside her.
"See that one?" Cari asked. "That's the leader of our little group: her name's Agnes, but call her that and she kicks you into next week. We call her Aggie. She's the Twilight,"
"The what now?" Piper asked.
Cari giggled slightly. "Sorry; different kind of magic. It's shadow magic, that's where I come from. The Twilight is a prophesied half-demon, half-angel child with powers over the energy that powers dawn and dusk. That's when our demon's attacked anyways. Can I tell you how lucky you are that you don't have to report for patrol at 5:30 in the morning? Sneaking out is difficult at 5:30 in the morning!"
Piper laughed. "What is shadow magic?"
Cari immediately spouted out a definition. "It's a type of magic where demons are only created in the hours of dawn and dusk, when a perfect balance between moon and sun. It's a magic of balance, there are angels, demons, and some magical creatures, which are usually humanoid,"
"Anyways, that's Dawn," she resumed after a moment of silence, pointing to a brunette with earbuds in. "God, she always had earbuds in. Dawn was a music empath, which means that she had sound based abilities based on the type of music she was listening to or playing. Let's just say she was gifted with instruments, and leave at that," Cari full out laughed. "It also meant she would go off the wall crazy when she didn't have music playing,"
"What did her teachers do?" Piper wondered.
Cari shrugged. "She could leave one out to talk and listen to others, and she was capable of ignoring it, so most teachers let her keep it in. She had a sporadic setting on her ipod, so she could turn it off whenever music was playing in band, orchestra, and chorus. A few teachers who objected played classical music on a boom box in their room. The one teacher who refused just had her switched from his class,"
"Oh," Piper replied.
"And here's Becky, she was a Multipower. In shadow magic, they're born every century. She basically can combine elemental power. She was super nice. I miss all of them so much,"
"And you?" Piper asked. She knew this whitelighter was different than others she'd seen.
Cari sighed. "Unless you call the stupid ability to make mind connections 'facinating', then I guess you could say I was our resident little witch. Metaphoricaly, I mean. I know every shadow potion, and exactly where to get each ingredient, I'm an expert at shadow spells, and I know kickboxing. There aren't exactly 'witches' in shadow magic. Just magical creatures and spells anyone can do with the exact same reaction,"
"I see,"
Cari sighed, an internal debate evident in her face. "Piper," she said after a moment. "Do you want to see something?"
"If you want me too," Piper answered in a motherly tone.
Cari pulled up the sleeve on her purple shirt to reveal a potion bottle image on her wrist. "Just touch that," she directed.
Piper was suspicious, but she trusted Cari. She had to, to let her protect her children. Curiosity finally won out, and Piper touched the tattoo. With a gasp, she was thrust into the recesses of Cari's mind.
*Flashback*
"Aggie, no, you can't!" Cari cried. She looked much the same as she did in her afterlife, if maybe without the slight bit of maturity she had after 6 years of being a whitelighter.
"It's the only way, Cars. I can't let anyone get hurt anymore," The tall redhead with cat green eyes Piper had seen in the picture stood at a swirling, purple portal. A small tree limb was sucked into the backside, and was promptly ground up into leaves and bark.
"There has got to be another way, Aggs," Dawn argued, her chocolate brown eyes covered in tears.
"What if it doesn't work? Then there will be no one to fight the demons," Becky, a tall girl with blonde hair and blue eyes shouted.
Aggie smiled slightly. "Then I know you guys can take care of it. I love you all," She turned to walk into the portal.
"No, Aggie!" Cari cried. She ran toward her best friend.
A bright light flashed, and a loud, blood-curdling scream was heard. Dawn and Becky covered their eyes, unsure if the sound was Aggie or Cari.
The flash cleared, and sitting at the bottom of the stone steps was Aggie, clutching Cari's body, which was laid out with her head on Aggie's knees.
"Cari!" Dawn and Becky yelled. They ran toward the girl with so many cuts and wounds on her- side effects from the portal, ones that would prove to be fatal in a matter of moments.
"Hey guys," Cari said weakly. It was obvious her strength was ebbing.
"Cari! Why did you do something so foolish!" Dawn demanded in tears.
"Dawn, Becks, Aggie, you guys are too important. You're prophesized," she looked past the trio. "I'm the only one who could have. I'm not as necessary,"
"Of course you are. There has got to be a way out of this," Aggie said fiercely.
Cari shook her head with difficulty, and coughed."I checked when Aggie was contemplating potential suicide. There is no spell, no potion. That's why a person has to be sure before jumping into the portal, no regrets, no unfinished business,"
Becky looked at her in shock, comprehension dawning. "You knew you were going to stop Aggie,"
Cari nodded weakly. "Told my whole family I loved them for the last time this morning. This way everyone wins. The demons are barred from returning, and Aggie stays alive,"
"But you lose your life," Aggie cried.
"Aggie," Cari wheezed as firmly as she could. "This is all of our fights, not just yours. You can't be the hero that dies this time, you may be needed someday. Me? I'm just the normal guy, and I have no reason for the greater good to keep living," she stared at the others. "And that goes for all of you. There's nothing you could have done. I guess this was my destiny, I'm the best candidate. So stop blaming yourselves,"
She turned to Aggie. "Aggs, ask Lucas out. I made a mind connection with him yesterday just to see if he liked you. Go to prom for me, wear a pretty dress. Remember I'll be watching over you with your mom,"
And with that, Cari's heart gave a final shutter, and her body shut down.
*Flashback*
Piper looked at the girl in front of her in awe. She couldn't believe the girl in front of her had been so brave. She had sacrificed herself to save a friend, and for the greater good. Piper wasn't sure if she could ever do that, although she knew she might be tested one day
Cari was uncomfortable. What was she thinking, sharing something so personal with someone she barely knew? She started searching for reasons to leave, until she got a saving message from Tara to get over to their charge April's workplace, now.
"I'm sorry, Piper, I have to leave. My charge is in trouble with a nutball and a gun," Before any other explanation could be procured, Cari orbed out in the flashing, blue lights.