Chapter Four
After reading the same sentence three times over, Chris finally slammed his book shut. He'd been in the library studying ever since early in the morning, and he was exhausted. Not only was the book so difficult that after every few words he had to consult a dictionary, but he hadn't gotten enough sleep lately. Of course, the source of his insomnia wasn't too hard to find. It was Wyatt. Wyatt had spent the last couple of days on a sort of 'demon hunt', and always, when he returned home, he'd stomp all over the place and make such a racket that it was impossible for anyone to get some rest.
Chris sighed as he began packing up all of his stuff. He'd come here to get some peace and quiet, but it seemed that it wasn't helping in anything but making him fall asleep. To really read this book, he'd need more than a couple of hours of rest, and a large cup of coffee.
Once all his stuff was put away, Chris hoisted his large, overfilled bag onto his shoulders and made his way to the exit. He smiled at the librarian on his way out, and she barely looked up from her papers to give him a small wave.
"Have a nice day now," she said to him.
Chris nodded, and left the quiet behind as he walked into the San Francisco streets. The city was alive with noise and movement, looking exactly the way anyone pictured it.
People jostled Chris slightly as he made his way against the current and towards the street that would lead him to the correct cable-cart stop.
Wyatt would usually insist that Chris just orb home and back, but Chris was against that. He didn't want to use magic, he kept protesting, he just wanted to blend in.
Chris had definitely inherited more from his mother than just his looks. Sure, he might have her hair, and a bit of her facial structure, but he also had her attitude towards magic. He agreed that it was completely necessary in some cases, but most of the time, he preferred to stick to the normal way of doing things.
This, in part, had a lot to do with Wyatt's amazing magic. Even as children, Chris hadn't felt as good as his brother in all that he did. He wasn't the 'Twice-Blessed', he wasn't the most powerful witch in the world… he was just an ordinary, common witch compared to his brother. In truth, Chris was more powerful than most witches, being the son of a Charmed One, but still, he always felt inferior to Wyatt. That was why he worked so hard at college. If Wyatt was the magical superstar, then Chris would be the normal superstar. He'd be the only one in the family to major in not only one, but three subjects, and ace them all.
However, acing all the subjects seemed a bit far-fetched at the moment, considering how tired he was. Chris rubbed at his eyes as he entered the darkened street.
For a moment, he was confused at the lack of people, cars, and just general movement. It almost seemed as if the alley had been flushed out of its usual business.
Shrugging the strange sensation off, Chris continued on his way, trying to ignore the feeling that someone was watching him from behind.
Suddenly, a strong arm wrapped around his throat and lifted him slightly off the ground as he was pressed into a supernaturally strong body. Chris's eyes widened as he was attacked. This never happened like this. Demons mostly didn't even dare to enter San Francisco, and they definitely wouldn't go after the son of a Charmed One.
Chris made a small choking noise as another demon shimmered in right in front of him. The demon had distinct marking on his face and arms, rather like tribal tattoos. His teeth were bared in a snarl as he gazed at Chris coldly.
A sharp pain pierced the young witch, and he would have screamed but for the pressure on his throat. As it was, a small strangled moan escaped his mouth, as the knife that had been pushed into his back, right under his ribcage, twisted violently.
The demon holding him growled into his ear. "Like that, don't ya?" he asked, before giving the knife another vicious twist.
Chris gasped in pain, and then in relief as the knife was pulled out. He felt warm blood begin to rush down his back, but he felt better now that the metal instrument was out of his body. The relief didn't last long, though. Sensing for his magic, Chris discovered that the pain had pushed it out of his mind. He couldn't escape.
The agony wasn't over yet. The demon standing in front of Chris grinned at the one holding him, looking pleased. "Why don't you make him suffer a little more?" he suggested, "Before we end this."
The demon holding Chris snarled slightly, as if in agreement, and then Chris felt some fingers tear into his wound.
Chris groaned and pulled frantically at the arm holding him, but the strong limb wouldn't budge. Giving up, Chris hung limply from the demon's grasp, tensing from time to time as the creature's fingers moved around inside of him.
Finally, the torture was over, and the fingers were extracted.
Chris couldn't see what was happening behind him, but from the sound of it, the demon was sucking his fingers clean of blood.
"Delicious," the demon muttered into Chris's ear, and Chris struggled futilely once more. The demon just laughed, and the marked creature in front of them approached. As he did, he pulled a long jagged knife out of his pocket.
Aiming it directly at Chris's chest, the tattooed demon glanced briefly into Chris's dulling eyes. "And so ends the life of the son of a Charmed One," he whispered.
At these words, Chris reached for his magic. He didn't care if the pain had forced it out of the way, he needed it now, and a Halliwell's magic was never too far away.
Thankfully, he found it just in time. Chris orbed out of the demon's grasp just as the tattooed demon drove the blade home.
Appearing just a short distance away, Chris watched as the marked demon successfully vanquished his partner in crime. The strong demon thrashed about for a moment as flames consumed him, and then he was gone.
The marked demon looked around frantically. He had to get this job done and eliminate this witch, the Source had commanded it.
He found his prey standing nearby, looking deathly pale. Smirking, the demon approached the witch, his knife still in his hand.
Chris only had to raise his arm to send a nearby trashcan flying at the demon who was walking towards him menacingly. The demon, seeing the can headed his way, instantly shimmered out.
Chris tensed, and he looked around the alley to see if the demon would simply appear anywhere else, but seeing that it had retreated, Chris straightened up.
Instantly, he wished he hadn't. His wound in his back was still gushing blood and causing him a great deal of pain. Biting his lip, he held back the yell that threatened to burst forth, as every movement sent stinging sensations into his right side.
Deciding not to follow his usual rules and take non-magical transport, Chris began to call upon his orbing power. It wasn't very easy. Not only had the pain made it a lot more difficult, but Chris's rapidly weakening body wouldn't be able to stand it very well. But still, Chris had to get back to the manor somehow.
Finally achieving his goal, Chris let the bluish-white lights consume him and transport his body back home.
(A/N) Here is the long awaited chapter, with Chris actually in it! I'm sorry I wasn't able to post this yesterday, but, as I mentioned, I was flying back home at the moment. Anyway, now it's here, and I wanted to thank a few people for posting reviews: Funnie and Charrmed. You guys make it more fun to update each new chapter!
Keep an eye out for the next one, that will be posted next Friday. For now, Happy Christmas! I hope you enjoy this chapter, and please review if you can!