Despite the shabby surroundings their hotel room was a little bit nicer than what it appeared to be from the outside. To Sabrina's surprise there were many people that were also staying at Cliff Casa. She figured by judging with the strange yet flamboyant outfits it was not only tourists but many attendees for the Gay Icon Music Festival. The check-in line had been so long that it took a good two hours until they finally reached the front.
The Spellman women checked into their room and it was a large suite enough for the four of them with two queen-sized beds, futon, TV screen, desk & chair, closet, drawers, and a bathroom. Sabrina and Zelda were busy putting away their clothes when they noticed smoke coming from the bathroom. The two of them looked at each other rolled their eyes. They knew that Hilda and Salem were so theatrical when it came to making an entrance and braced themselves for the bold, gaudiness that awaited their sight. Hilda and Salem emerged all dressed, glammed and glittered up. Bright yet little tiny fireworks began to flash around them as they dramatically posed in their getups.
"How do we look?" Hilda asked dramatically.
Hilda's shoulder length blond hair had been replaced with a large, jet black wig with curls on every strand. Her eyes were outlined in black eyeliner and a light shade of pink had a little touch of mascara to them. She wore a black leather jacket, black boots, a bedazzled black loose tank top and shorts. Dangly silver earrings and other silver jewelry adorned her ears, wrists and neck. Salem had a blond wig on top of his head and wore a simple, baby powder blue tuxedo.
"Are you sure you're going to a gay icon festival and not a best big hair wig show?" Sabrina sarcastically asked.
"No, come on Sabrina you don't know who I am?" Hilda whined.
"Great Aunt Constance? During the eighteen hundreds when perms and big wigs were in?" Zelda smirked.
"No I am Cher," Hilda said. She then did in her best (and yet worst) Cher voice as she sang, "DO YOU BELIEVE IN LIFE that I am Cher?"
Together Zelda and Sabrina chimed in, "Noooo." Hilda frowned and began to move loose wig strands out of her face. Even she wondered how Cher could handle this much hair back in the days.
Sabrina turned to Salem and still couldn't figure out who he was. She felt that maybe schools should start teaching about music icons from the 60s and beyond. "And who are you supposed to be?"
"I am David Bowie during his Ziggy era," Salem said with pride.
"Salem I'm pretty sure Ziggy had red hair during that time," Zelda said as she grabbed her hotel key card off of the table. Salem then turned to the closet mirror and his eyes widened in horror.
"Oh no! The packet said it was supposed to be red! Red I tell you!" Salem exclaimed and then he began to do something far worse than cry: he started singing.
"Salem, if I fix your problem will you not sing during the rest of this vacation?" Sabrina asked as she grabbed her purse off of the futon.
"How can you fix this? Only music can help ease the humiliation of my poor, fashion disaster of hair and there's nothing you can do to ch-ch-change it," Salem sobbed.
Sabrina took a deep breath in through her nose and exhaled through her mouth calmly as she thought of the right words to say to Salem. She then chanted out loud the words that flowed through her:
For this poor, black cat with a blond head
Turn his top hair color to Ziggy's bright red
She pointed her finger and a small stream of glittery, orange dust produced from her the tip of her finger and swirled around Salem's blond wig. The dust then settled into the wig and the blond color turned from orange to red. Salem turned to the mirror and a smile lit up on his face.
"I must say Sabrina you do lovely work darling," Salem said in his best British accent.
"Your welcome, just remember the deal about no singing until the vacation is over," Sabrina said as she joined Zelda and headed towards the door.
"Yeah and you can't be singing during the festivities despite the many weirdos there will be at this thing," Hilda warned as she applied lipstick.
"Don't worry dears you won't be hearing another note out of me," British Salem said.
"Is Bowie the only one you're going to be the whole time during this festival?" asked Zelda.
"Oh no! Of course not I've got many others I am going to be. Like Bowie I always like to reinvent myself and go through…" dramatic pause and he began to sing song, "Ch-Ch-Changes turn and face the strange."
"AUNT HILDA, AUNT ZELDA!" Sabrina yelled as she put her fingers to her ears. With a snap of the fingers the singing had stopped and Salem now had a gag in his mouth.
Hilda turned to face her sister and niece, "You two don't have to worry. I'll make sure that he behaves like a normal, dressed up pet while were downtown," she said reassuringly with a wink.
"Thanks Hildy, let's go Sabrina. Be sure to meet us at the Bridge Rumble restaurant at 7:30 p.m.," Zelda said pointing to her wrist watch. The time right now read about 3:30 p.m.
"We will. Have fun and show me what Great Aunt Constance left us," Hilda called as Sabrina and Zelda left their hotel room.
Meanwhile in downtown San Francisco
Prue sighed as she changed out film in her camera. She had been there for two hours and was down to her last roll. She hoped there was a store nearby so that she could get more film. She had been so amazed when capturing the sights of the stages to being set up to attendees going to bars already getting drunk and ready for a long night of partying. She began to notice other photographers arriving along with many police units helping set up the barriers to keep the norms away from the partygoers. One policeman stood out as he stacked up a sign that had instructions on it for people to take another route to avoid the chaos that would be happening later on.
"Darryl!" she shouted as she waved her hand. Darryl turned around and smiled. Perfect shot, Prue thought. She put her hand in the air and Darryl stopped in his tracks with a confused look on his face.
"Smile!" she said. He then put on a quick grin as she snapped the photo. She then walked over and gave him a hug.
"Chief has got you guys on party patrol tonight," she asked.
"Oh yeah, over recent years this festival has become pretty popular and last year I had to work overtime to help control the crowd when things got hectic around nine. Then again it was a full moon that night and crazy things always happen during those times," Darryl sighed.
"You don't need to tell me about crazy with insane antics happening to me every second of my life," Prue said.
"Point taken," Darryl said with a chuckle, "Oh and I was wondering you and your sisters could do me a favor."
"Is it some sort of case?" Prue asked as she began to adjust the lens.
"Yes, a couple of antiques have gone missing. I mean I know common thievery is not what you girls do but I think there is something magical going on," Darryl said in a low whisper.
"Magical?" Prue whispered back.
"Yeah the two victims were elderly women and the items that were stolen from them were special amulets they kept," Darryl explained.
"How do you know it's a magical kind of thing?"
"When I went to talk with the women I saw the signs. I mean the smell of strong herbs and symbols and items of the witchcraft stuff. Plus I think there's more to what these women are letting on. I don't think they told all they knew because I'm a human being. I think you and your sisters can get them to open up before another thievery strikes again," Darryl said.
"Okay I'll talk to Phoebe and Piper about this," Prue promised.
"Thank you, Prue," Darryl said and he walked away.
Meanwhile in the Underworld
"Are you sure this is the relic we've been looking for?" the male demon Amon asked.
"I am positive. I can sense the power. Now is a good time for us to strike while that hag is out in the Bahamas," his female counterpart Lilith answered.
"But what about the Charmed Ones? They'll surely be after it. Plus from what I have learned relatives of that hag have come to claim this treasure," Amon said.
"I have managed to make some adjustments so that the object that we both seek will no longer be where THEY think it is," Lilith said with confidence.
"Where are we to be then my love?" Amon asked as he wrapped his arm around her waist.
She gave him a quick kiss on his lips and stroked her fingers down his cheek. "The Buckland Auction House is where we need to be. Take us there baby."
"With pleasure." And the demonic couple shimmered out of their lair while their lips were locked in a full embrace.