Chosen Chapter 14: Past and Present Danger

Part 6

Xxx

Billie groaned and she rolled over and tried to get up. She looked around and saw the others were doing the same. The shockwave that had knocked them back hurt, though it wasn't powerful enough to really harm anyone. Billie watches as Margoyle stepped out of his cell and headed to the virus. She could not let him get his hands on it, or he would endanger the entire magical community. She waved her hand and caused a computer screen to hit him in the back.

"You damn witch." Margoyle snapped at her as he turned around.

"You're not getting away with that virus." Billie said as she rose to her feet. "How did you get out of your cell anyway?"

"Those stupid scientists tested their first prototype on me." Margoyle replied. "It didn't kill me, but it left me powerless for a while. Those fools had no idea my power was slowly returning, so I waited for the perfect opportunity to use it. I'm back to full strength now."

Margoyle raised his hand and fired an Energy Ball, which Billie avoided by levitating out of the way. Agent Murphy grabbed Ramsey and took cover behind a desk. Meanwhile, Duncan got up and formed a Bursting Ball, which he threw at Margoyle. The demon saw it coming and threw another Energy Ball. Their attacks collided in the air and exploded. The blast sent Duncan flying and he hit his head against some equipment, knocking him out. Agent Murphy grabbed his gun and fired several bullets at Margoyle, though they didn't affect him at all.

"You humans and your guns." Margoyle mocked as he threw an Energy Ball at Murphy, who quickly ducked behind the desk. "I'm going to kill all of you, then I'm going to destroy this place and all evidence of it, and escape with the virus."

"Like we would let you." Billie replied.

Billie waved her hand and sent Margoyle flying against the wall. She reached into her boot for an athame and attempted to throw it, but the demon was quicker and threw an Energy Ball. Billie tried to avoid it, though it grazed her arm, leaving her with a nasty burn. Margoyle headed to the computer. When Murphy tried to intervene, the demon punched him with super human strength, sending him flying back.

"I'm getting out of here!" Ramsey called out.

The young scientist jumped up and ran as Margoyle threw an Energy Ball. Billie quickly flung her arm to redirect the attack, allowing Ramsey to escape into a secure room with his keycard.

"I'll deal with him later." Margoyle said. "Let's take out the trash first."

Margoyle turned to the computer and pressed a large button with several warning labels. Once he hit the button, an electrical surge coursed through the holding cells, electrocuting the beings trapped inside. Billie watched in horror as the innocent magical beings and demons were vanquished. Ignoring her pain, she rose to her feet and faced Margoyle.

"You are going to pay for that." Billie said angrily.

Billie ran at the demon and levitated to kick him in the face. She landed in front of him and did a roundhouse kick to knock him back. When he threw an Energy Ball, she cartwheeled to avoid it. He tried to punch her, though she ducked and grabbed her athame, stabbing him in the abdomen. Margoyle screamed in pain and stumbled back as he tried to pull it out. Focusing her anger, Billie waved her arm and unleashed a wave of kinetic energy, vanquishing Margoyle the moment it connected. Exhausted from the attack, she fell to her knees.

"Murphy, you alright?" Billie asked.

"I think I cracked a few ribs, but I'll live." Murphy replied. "You?"

"Yeah, me too." Billie replied. "And Duncan?"

"I think he's just knocked out." Murphy said.

"Oh, I wish I still was." Duncan remarked groggily as he sat up. "My head hurts."

At that moment, the door was kicked open and four armed guards ran in. They took position around the door and aimed their guns. They were followed by a dark-skinned woman in a blue dress suit. Billie instantly recognized her as the mayor, Amanda Freeman. The mayor looked around at the damage with a cold frown. She then turned to Billie and the others.

"So we meet at last, Miss Jenkins." The mayor said calmly.

"I would say it was nice to meet you, if you weren't busy trying to wipe out my kind." Billie replied.

"I'm only trying to protect my city from dangerous creatures such as yourself." The mayor replied. "Magic is a threat."

"Magic is more than that." Duncan argued. "It's neither pure good nor evil. It's how we choose to use it that matters."

"A nice sentiment, but magic nearly destroyed this city not long ago." The mayor said. "I won't allow something like that to happen again."

"We saved this city." Billie said. "I'd think you'd be a little more grateful."

"Grateful?" The mayor replied with a frown. "You just destroyed a lab that is worth millions and months of work."

"You were about to make a horrible mistake, ma'am. A virus like this would decimate the magical community." Murphy said. "I asked them to help bring this place down to prevent a disaster. I take full responsibility for what happened here."

"I'm fully aware of your involvement, agent Murphy." The mayor replied. "And I'll be sure to inform your superiors."

"So what happens now?" Billie asked defensively. "Are you going to shoot us?"

"No, this is obviously a fight I can't win." The mayor replied. "I'm going to take my virus and we're going to go our separate ways."

"We're not going to let you do that." Billie said determined.

"You don't have a choice, Miss Jenkins." The mayor replied. "I might not be able to win this fight, but my men can take at least some of you down with us. Do you really want to risk your lives here and now?"

"She is right, Billie." Murphy replied. "Either way, this will end in bloodshed."

"Fine." Billie said as she crossed her arms. "We'll finish this another day. Your nerd is hiding in that secure room, unless he ran out."

"There is no exit there, it's the vault where the virus is kept." The mayor replied.

The mayor grabbed her keycard and headed to the secure door. She opened it and went inside while everyone else waited.

"This can't be." The mayor called out surprised.

Billie stepped past the armed guards and entered the secure room. The mayor was standing in the middle of an otherwise empty room. There was a refrigerator in the back with the door open, though it was empty as well. Ramsey was nowhere to be seen, and neither was the virus.

"I thought there wasn't an exit here." Billie said.

"There isn't." the mayor replied.

"Then how did he escape with the virus?" Billie asked.

"I have no idea." The mayor said. "But I'll find him."

"Not unless we find him first." Billie replied.

The mayor glared at her and then stormed out of the laboratory, along with her guards. With the virus gone, there was nothing left for them after all. Billie looked around for a hidden exit. When she didn't find any, she realized there was only one explanation. Ramsey escaped using magic, meaning that he had been a mole the entire time. That meant the virus could be anywhere. And as long as it was out there, it was a threat to everyone Billie cared about.

Xxx

When Violet rematerialized in a flurry of purple orbs, she found herself sitting in a familiar-looking office. As she looked around, she realized she was in Magic School. She wondered why an Elder would take her there, until she realized which Elder used to run the school as headmaster. The person that saved her was none other than Gideon, the only person who had answers about her past. However, after what happened to the twins, she could not even think about that. She felt horrible, the twins were gone and it all felt like her fault. As she cried, Gideon appeared before her in a column of orbs.

"I orbed the twins to the nursery, Mrs. Winterbourne will look after them for the time being." Gideon said as he sat down. "I'm so sorry about what happened. Are you alright?"

"No, my friends just died." Violet replied tearfully. "It's all my fault. I screwed it all up."

"What do you mean?" Gideon asked. "Why were you there?"

"We wanted answers about our past." Violet replied. "It all seems so pointless now. I never intended any of this to happen. We never should have come here."

"Come from where?" Gideon asked.

"The future." Violet admitted.

"The future? You came here through time travel?" Gideon asked with a frown. He got up and started pacing. "That makes sense. You shouldn't have been there. It seems you appeared out of nowhere. And now due to your presence, the course of history has undoubtedly been changed."

"I'm not sure what you mean." Violet replied.

"Time isn't set in stone, dear girl." Gideon explained. "Time is like a river. It wants to follow a certain path, but its direction can be altered, causing the water to flow down another path. Your actions have altered the past, and thus the future as well."

"But you said it isn't set it stone." Violet replied hopefully as she wiped away her tears. "Does that mean it can be changed back? I can stop the twins from getting killed?"

"Possibly." Gideon replied. "It would depend on how much has been altered and how much time we allow to pass. Before we can fix this, I need to know who you are and why you were there. I have the strange feeling that we've met before."

"My name is Violet Morgan." Violet replied. "And the reason that I might seem familiar is because you arranged my adoption."

"Oh my…" Gideon said as his eyes widened. "You are that special child."

"I guess I am." Violet said confused. "Wait, what does that mean? Do you know about my parents? Why they decided to give me up?"

"I know you want answers." Gideon replied. "I never expected you to come back in time for them, though. I figured you would eventually come to Magic School and I would explain it to you."

"Well…" Violet said hesitantly, knowing that she could not reveal that Gideon was dead in the future, as that would only further mess things up. She also didn't want to tell him that he would go insane in the future and try to kill an innocent little boy.

"You don't want to expose the future." Gideon said understandingly. "That is probably a wise decision. Well, I guess I should start at the beginning. I sensed you from the moment you were born. You are a witch, born to two mortals. Your parents were just teenagers. They were nowhere near ready to raise a child, let alone a magical one."

"How can that be?" Violet asked. "Isn't magic passed down through blood?"

"Not always." Gideon replied. "In some rare cases, magic can manifest in a child of mortals, but only if that child is destined for something special."

"Special how?" Violet asked.

"You were born with a power that only comes around once in a thousand years." Gideon said. "But to understand your power, you must understand destiny. Tell me, do you know about destiny, about the Grand Design?"

"My friends told me a little about it." Violet replied. "The Grand Design is how things are supposed to happen. The Angels of Destiny try to ensure that it does."

"Exactly." Gideon said. "But like time, destiny is not set in stone. If it were, there would be no such thing as free will. People are free to form their own paths, not even the Angels can change that."

"I guess." Violet replied confused. "How does this involve me?"

"You are a part of the Grand Design, Violet." Gideon stated. "A child of destiny. You are born with the ability to see past, present and future and the power to alter time itself. For this reason, you can alter the course of history and ensure that things happen the right way."

"That's impossible." Violet replied shocked. "I'm just a witch. I'm not that powerful."

"Yes, you are." Gideon said. "You just don't know it yet."

"I'm not sure I'm comfortable with that much power." Violet said nervously. "How can I decide how things are supposed to happen? I'm only human."

"This is a responsibility that must not be taken lightly." Gideon replied. "Your humanity will allow to make the hard choices that even the Angels cannot. But this power must only be used when there is no other choice. If you abuse it, you will only make things worse."

"This is all really overwhelming." Violet said, trying to wrap her head around all it. "What am I supposed to do now?"

"Now that you know the truth, you have the power to save your friends." Gideon replied. "Go back in time and fix what went wrong. Let destiny take its intended course."

"That means letting Erin die, and letting the twins grow up without parents." Violet said.

"That is why this power is such a burden." Gideon replied.

"Why did she have to die? Why were those demons after them?" Violet asked.

"As I did with you, I sensed great magical power in the twins." Gideon explained. "I realized they could be a great force of good or evil. The demons must have sensed the same. But since the twins came here with you, the good in them must have prevailed."

"It did." Violet replied. "It wasn't an easy path for them, but they are good. They are my friends."

"I'm glad." Gideon replied with a smile. "Sadly, time is running out. You should go save them and return to your own time."

"What will happen if I do?" Violet asked. "Will you remember all of this?"

"If you do it right, we will never encounter each other and destiny will correct itself." Gideon explained. "This will have never happened."

"I see." Violet replied. "So how do I time travel?"

"Focus on where and when you want to go." Gideon said. "Let your heart speak."

"I just have one more question." Violet said. "Can you tell me anything else about my parents?"

"They were young and in love." Gideon replied. "But they were kids with no money or a place to call home. They knew they could not give you the life you deserved. When they gave you away, I made sure you were adopted by the Morgans and I bound your magic until you were ready for it."

"So they give me up out of love." Violet said tearfully.

"They did." Gideon replied. "Now you really must get going, before it is too late."

Violet nodded and closed her eyes to concentrate. She was happy to finally know the truth about her parents, but now she needed to focus on her friends. She thought back to the time and place where she last saw the twins. Having this power scared her, but she knew it was worth it if she could save the people she cared about. She channeled the hidden power within and the world around her disappeared in a flash of white light.

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