*This chapter has been re-written*
The Book of Shadows
"Don't you think you're overreacting? We're perfectly safe here." Prue said as she and Piper followed Bella towards the door.
"Don't say that. In horror movies, the person who says that is always the next to die!" Bella said as she carried on walking.
"It is pouring rain. There's a psycho on the lose. Jeremy's not even home. What are you going to do?"
"I'll wait in the back yard, it's got a shelter and everything! I've never had this much VIP treatment!"Bella said sarcastically.
"Piper, will you please tell her." Prue said in annoyance.
"How big is this shelter? Do you think it will fit the two of us?" Piper asked untill she say Prue's glare. "Sorry."
"Please! Look I know your scared but Phoebe used to play these tricks on you before-"Prue started to say but was cut in by Bella.
"-that wasn't Phoebe, that was you!"
Prue looked guilty for a second before she put on a blank mask as Bella stormed past her to the phone.
"Great, now the phone doesn't work!" Bella said as she slammed it down and Prue rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, the power's out. Look, go with me to the basement."
Bella's eyes widened. "Are you completely out of your mind?"
"You're the one that thinks a shelter is VIP treatment."
"Piper, will go with you." Bella said, ignoring Piper frantically shaking her head.
"Where are you going?" Prue asked suddenly and all three sisters turned to see Phoebe heading upstairs with a flashlight.
"I'm going to the attic." She told them simply.
"No, you're not. We already agreed."
"I am not waiting for some handyman to check out the attic and I'm certainly not waiting until tomorrow. I'm going now." Phoebe said before continuing upstairs as Prue rolled her eyes and walked towards the basement.
"Prue, wait." Piper said following, dragging Bella with her.
...
Phoebe crept up the stairs towards the attic and pulled on the handle. Locked. Phoebe sighed in annoyance and headed back downstairs.
Until she heard the door creak behind her and she slowly walked into the room, flashlight in hand. As she walked into the room she looked around the room she'd wanted to go in as a child, there was old toys and books. But what caught her attention the most was and old wooden chest, she was not quite sure why it caught her attention but she opened it. Inside was a big book, Phoebe took the book out of the chest and opened it. "The Book Of Shadows" Phoebe read outload. She saw an incantation on the next page and read it out"'In this night and in this hour, I call upon the ancient power, give the power to us sister four, we want the power, give us the power'"
Phoebe looked around as if expecting something to happen and jumped when she heard a voice behind "What are you doing?"
Phoebe turned around to see Prue, Piper and Bella standing by the door.
"Um..." Phoebe hesitated before deciding to tell them the truth. "Reading an incantation. It was in this Book of Shadows, I found it in that trunk."
"How did you get the door open?" Bella asked as Prue took the book of Phoebe.
"The door unlocked." Phoebe said and her and Bella shared a look of annoyance. They had been trying to get into the room ever since they were young but had never been able too.
"Wait a minute, an incantation? What kind of incantation?" Piper asked.
"It said something about there being three essentials of magic. Uh, timing, feeling and phases of the moon. If we were ever gonna do this, now - midnight on a full moon - is the most powerful time." Phoebe said while Piper and Bella looked at her confused and Prue read the book.
"This? Do what?" Bella asked.
"Receive our powers."
"What powers? Wait, our powers? You included me in this?" Piper asked, her eyes widening.
"No, she included all of us. "Bring your powers to we sisters three." It's a book of witchcraft." Prue said as she slammed the book shut and glared at Phoebe darkly.
...
"Spirit boards, books of witchcraft. It figures all this freaky stuff started when you arrived." Prue said as the four of them looked through the dark house.
"Hey, I wasn't the one who found the spirit board!" Phoebe said defensively.
"But it wasn't my fingers sliding around on the pointer."
"It doesn't matter. Because nothing happened, right Phoebe, when you did that incantation?" Piper asked and Phoebe rolled her eyes.
"Well, my head spun around and I vomited split-pea soup. How should I know?"
"Well, everything looks the same." Bella said calmly.
"But the house still needs work." Prue commented.
"Everything feels the same, so nothing's changed." Piper said confidently while Bella trailed behind her sister when she noticed a photo of them that Grams had taken.
The photo was of all four of them standing in front of the manor, they were all standing close together...except she was sure that when the picture was taken they were standing further apart. Bella shook her head, she was being stupid.
...
Phoebe sat on the steps in front of the house thinking about the things she read last night. The door opened behind her and Bella walked down towards her. Phoebe smiled at her. "Hey, happy-"
"Don't even think about it!" Bella said warningly and Phoebe laughed.
"I think you're the only teenager in the world who doesn't like her birthday. Where are you going?"
"School, my bus will be here in a minute." Phoebe nodded.
"Well the most powerful charmed one of all time needs an education." Phoebe said casually taking a sip of her coffee.
"Does this have anything to do with that book you found last night?" Bella asked with a knowing smile on her face. "Look, we'll talk about this later but right now i need to go to school."
Phoebe looked up and saw the school bus. "Okay, see you later."
"Bye, see ya Piper."Bella said when the front door opened.
Piper sat down where Bella was minutes before and both she and Phoebe watched Bella get on the bus.
"Checking to make sure she actually got on the bus?" Phoebe asked once the bus was gone.
"You know what she was like before Grams died. It was your fault." Piper said smirking.
"Well, she's matured a lot since Grams died, it's actually freeky how quickly she changed." Phoebe said, ignoring the last comment.
"Unlike you." Phoebe sent Piper a mock glare. "Anyway, you're up early."
"I never went to sleep."
"Don't tell me you put on a black conical hat and spent the night flying around the neighbourhood on a broomstick?" Piper teased and Phoebe rolled her eyes.
"The only broom I've ever had was kept in a closet beside a mop."
"So what were you doing?"
"Reading. Is Prue around?" Phoebe asked and Piper eyes narrowed.
"She went to work early. Reading aloud?"
"No. According to the Book Of Shadows, one of our ancestors was a witch, named Melinda Warren." Phoebe told her and for a moment Piper was silent.
"And we have a cousin who's a drunk, an aunt who's manic, and a father who's invisible." She said suddenly before standing up and walking to her car, Phoebe followed.
"I'm serious. She practiced powers. Four powers. She could move objects with her mind, see the future stop time and protect herself from mental and physical attacks. Before Melinda was burned at the stake, she vowed that each generation of Warren witches would become stronger and stronger, culminating in the arrival of four sisters. Now, these sisters would be the most powerful witches the world has ever known. The youngest being the most powerfull as she is a shield, not to mention all of the other powers she would gain over the years. They're good witches and I think we're those sisters." Phoebe explained and Piper frowned.
"Shield?"
"Oh. The youngest, a.k.a Bella, would have the power of mental and physical shields. A physical shield, is producing shield out of thin air while a mental shield is where she can block mental attacks to protect herself and others."
"Okay, not that I believe you because all of this is completely mental but what did you mean 'the powers she would gain other the years'?" Piper asked as she got into her car.
"She automatically gets her families powers and eventually gets powers of the people she loves and knows as family."
Piper sighed as she got ready to start the car. "Look, I know what happened last night was weird and unexplainable, but we're not witches and we do not have special powers besides, Grams wasn't a witch and as far as we know, neither was mum. So take that Nancy Drew." She said finally before starting the car and Phoebe sighed.
But she wasn't ready to give up. "We're the protectors of the innocent. We're known as the charmed ones."
Piper rolled her eyes as she drove away.
...
Bella and her friend Lilly stood in the hall where the competition took place. "Why do you want to win so much?" Bella asked her friend.
"Bells the prize is two concert tickets to see Westlife, you know how much i love westlife! And all i have to do is guess how many balls are in the jar!" Lilly said excitedly. Bella rolled her eyes at her friend and lent on the table that held the jar. Bella suddenly felt very wierd, so was no longer in the hall with Lilly, she was in her class listening to her head teacher on the intercom. 'And the number of balls in the jar is...468.' Bella suddenly fell back into reality where Lilly was waving her hand in front of her face "Hello, you spaced out on me there." Lilly said smirking.
"468"Bella said "the amount of balls in the jar, 468. Trust me." Lilly shrugged and wrote the numbers down.
...
"There's been a change of plan." Roger explained as he and Prue walked through the museum.
"Change of plan regarding the Beals expedition?" Prue asked.
"The extra money that you help raise through private donations has sparked significant corporate interest. The Beals artefacts will now become part of our permanent collection."
Prue frowned. This was a good thing...why was Roger acting so nervous? "Well, that's terrific."
"Which is why the board wants someone a little more qualified to handle the collection from now on." Roger explained calmly, pausing as he looked at her expression. "You look surprised."
"I don't know why. I'm furious. Not only have I been on this project since its inception, but I'm the curator who secured the entire exhibition. You're the person a little more qualified aren't you?"
"I could hardly say no to the board of directors, could I? But I know you'll be happy for me, after all, what's good for me is definitely good for you. Right, Miss Halliwell?" Prue eyes narrowed.
"Miss Halliwell? Since when did we stop being on a first-name-basis? When we stopped sleeping together or when I returned your engagement ring, Roger?"
"I didn't realize the two were mutually exclusive. Although I certainly enjoyed one better than the other." Roger snapped.
"Bastard!" Prue hissed in anger before storming off.
"Prue, wait." Roger called after her and Prue, despite her mood, paused to hear what he had to say. "I feel like I should say something if only to avoid a lawsuit."
Prue rolled her eyes before carrying on the way she was going. Not noticing that behind her Rogers pen unexpectedly burst in his pocket.
...
"Miss Halliwell, can you come here please." Mr Clarke said from the front of the class when the bell went. Bella sighed wondering what she had done now as she walked towards her english teacher.
"Yes Mr Clarke?"
"You'r essay is not good enough, you haven't described it like i told you to. You obviously didn't read the book."Mr Clarke said with a sneer on his face.
"I descibed it exactly as you told me too sir. And the book was Wuthering Heights, i've read that book over one thousand times!"Bella said defensifly.
"I don't want excuses, i just wanted to tell you that i'll be writing to your sister tonight. Now get out." he said turning to his computer.
Bella sighed and headed to the door, she got about half way to the door when Mr Clarke said "oh, nearly forgot. You've got an F."
Bella clenched her fists and stormed out of the room. Mr Clarkes tie started to feel tight and it kept getting tighter and tighter. Mr Clarke gasped for breath as he opened one of his draws, pulled out some scissors and cut the tie off.
...
Piper rushed around the kitchen where she was having her interview. She poured some of the port into the measuring jug when Chef Moore walked into the room.
"You're time is up." He said as he picked up the index card next to the plat of food. "Roast pork with gratin of fennel and penne with a port giblet sauce."
"Chef Moore-" Piper tried to explain carefully.
"What?"
"The port-"
"Yes, without the sauce it is nothing more than a salty marinara. A recipe from a woman's magazine. Puh!" Chef Moore said in disgust and Piper tried to hide her panic.
"I didn't have time for..." Piper tried again but Chef Moore was already raising a fork full of food to his lips, she waves her hands out in her panic and suddenly the fork stops half way to Chef Moores mouth and he stands their blankly. "Chef Moore? Chef Moore?" she questioned, waving her hand in front of his face but he was as still as a statue. Thinking quickly, Piper filled the baster with the Port and put some on the food Chef Moore was about to eat, quickly hiding the baster when Chef Moore unfroze and ate it.
She waited anxiously as he chew.
"Mmm ... this is very good. C'est magnifique." He said and Piper sighed slightly.
...
Bella was day dreaming in her gym class not paying any attention to the vooley ball game. She didn't even notice the ball heading towards her until it was right in front of her. She held up her hands protectivly and shut her eyes tight. She expected pain but it didn't come. She opened her eyes to see the ball frozen in mid-air, she looked around to see if she was the only one shocked at this but everyone in the room was frozen too.
Bella took a deep breath and held her hands back up waiting for everything to un-freeze. When it did she hit the ball as hard as she could and the other team failed to hit it. The coach blew his whistle and everyone headed for the locker room all of them congratulating Bella for winning the game.
"How did you get good at sport?" Lilly asked in surprise.
Bella just shrugged.
...
Prue walked into Roger's office to find him talking on the phone. "It was my idea to spark corporate interest in private donations. Not only have I been with this project since its inception, but we both know who really secured the entire exhibit." He swung around on his chair and froze when he saw her. "Prue..."
"I quit." She said simply.
"I'm going to have to call you back." He said down the phone before turning to her again. "Prue, think about this."
"Lousy job, lousy pay, lousy boss. What's to think about?"
"Your future. Because, believe me, if you walk out with no notice, you can kiss any references-"
"Don't threaten me Roger!" Prue snapped warningly, her eyes flashing with fury, and Roger gulped.
So he tried a different tatic. "You know me. Had to try. You're hurt, you're angry, your pride is wounded. I understand all that. That's why you can't see that I'm doing you a favour."
"Excuse me?"
"I had to take the exhibit away from you. If I hadn't, the board would of come and put a total stranger in my place. Think about it, Prue. I'm here for you. Not some stranger. You should be thanking me not leaving me." Prue stared at him in disbelief.
"Well, I'm not worried. I'm certain that your intellect will make quick work of the seventy-five computer discs and thousands of pages of research I left in my office."
"You're gonna regret this."
"Oh, I don't think so. I thought breaking up with you was the best thing I'd ever done. But this definitely tops that. Goodbye, Roger." Prue said, smirking at the look on Rogers face before turning and leaving the room.
"I hope there are no office supplies in your purse!" Roger called from the office and Prue rolled her eyes.
...
"Phoebe, answer the phone. Answer the phone." Bella said down her mobile as she left the school gates but she was getting no answer. She jumped when someone walked right next to her but relaxed when she saw who it was. "Oh, God, Jeremy you scared me."
"I-I can see, I'm sorry. You okay?" Jeremy asked concerned.
"Yeah, now I am. I really am. Um, what are you doing here?"
"Can't a guy see his girlfriend?" Jeremy asked as he pulled her into a hug.
...
Phoebe rode her bike down the road thinking about the book of shadows and whether her sister's had got their powers yet. Suddenly she felt very dizzy.
Two boys on skateboards rode into the road strait in front of a car. The dizziness finished and she looked forward to see the car that run over the to boys but something felt off. She looked to the side to see the two boys completely fine heading towards the road. "NO WAIT!" Phoebe yelled swerving herself and the bike in front of the car. She spun uncontrolably and when she stopped her bike was on top of her and she felt as if her arm has been crushed.