Post by StoryGirl83 on Aug 27, 2008 22:56:37 GMT -5
Charmed: Heritage
Episode 1X05 - A Friend In Need
Episode 1X05 - A Friend In Need
Chapter One – Demon or Innocent?
It was a beautiful, sunny day. The dorms at Cal State Hayward were bustling with people streaming through them. Kali Nicolae didn’t live in the dorms, but her boyfriend did. She had thought to surprise him by dropping by. His roommate, Rick Henderson, had told her that he had gone down to the library, so she was headed down the hall.
She had a pile of books in her arms. Some of them where books that she needed for a class project, one her boyfriend, Gary Johnson, had agreed to help her with. The remaining books were ones his roommate had borrowed from the library and had asked her to return seeing as she was headed there. She wasn’t really clear on why he hadn’t asked Gary, but it appeared to have something to do with the fact that he hadn’t been home when Gary headed for the library. That begged the question of why Rick even knew Gary was in the library.
As she reached the library, she quit the silent question session about Gary and Rick. She stopped in front of the door and balanced the books in one hand. She used her free hand to turn the knob on the door and pushed it open.
Inside she saw Gary throw a fireball in the direction of someone still out of her line of sight. She dropped the books onto the floor, stunned.
Startled, Gary whirled around to look at her. “Kali! Leave now.”
Kali pushed the door open all the way and stepped inside. She walked into the room and walked toward him. “Gary, what is going on?”
“You don’t understand, Kali,” Gary protested. “I have no choice.”
Kali walked toward Gary, speaking as she walked. “There is always a choice.”
“Why aren’t you afraid?” he asked confused.
“I’m terrified,” she admitted.
“Why aren’t you running?” he wanted to know, getting more confused by the moment. “Why aren’t you screaming witch or something?”
“Witches don’t throw fireballs,” she informed him, not sure why that random bit of trivia stuck with her. “You are not a witch.”
Gary stared at her for a moment. Then, he ran out of the room, pushing past her.
Kali looked around and saw a young man lying on the ground. She ran over to him and saw several burn marks on his body. Looking at his pale face, she recognized him as Mark Wells Trudeau, a young man from one of her classes. He lay very still, his eyelids closed and it was scaring her. “Mark!” She shook him. After that didn’t appear to work she looked up, pleading in her eyes as she called, “Whitelighter!” she called feeling very silly, but desperate enough to try. “Mark’s whitelighter.” She looked back down at him. She hoped desperately that she was right and he did have a whitelighter, that he was a witch. Shaking him, again, she asked, “Mark, who’s your whitelighter? Wake up.”
Groaning, Mark said only one word, his eyes staying closed. “Mikelle.”
Blue-white orbs formed and Mikelle Zealand appeared at Kali’s side. Mikelle had once been the charge of Paige Matthews, the aunt of two of Kali’s best friends. Seeing Mark lying there, Mikelle knelt down next to him. She put her hand over a wound and began the process of healing him, a warm gold glow coming from her hands. “Mark, what happened? I was just with Beth. She was attacked, too.”
As Mark’s wounds healed, his eyes fluttered and he calmed down. He looked up at her. “I’m okay,” he declared firmly. “Go back to my sister.”
Mikelle nodded, satisfied that she had healed enough wounds for the present and orbed out.
Kali looked at Mark, curiously. “You’re a witch, huh?”
As Mark pushed himself into a sitting position he eyed her cautiously. “Is that going to be a problem?”
Kali grinned and shook her head. “Nope. I’m used to witches.”
“Mortal?” Mark asked, wanting to be sure.
“Yeah,” Kali replied before adding, “Gypsy actually.” It wasn’t something she usually told people right off, but seeing as he was a witch, she figured he’d get it.
“I didn’t know Gypsies knew about witches,” Mark replied, surprised.
“I was under the impression most witches don’t know much about Gypsies,” she threw back.
“Family obsession from my mortal side,” Mark admitted.
“Really?” she asked interested. “How’s that?”
Mark smiled fondly. “My dad’s older brother had this obsession of sorts with the supernatural.” He only knew his uncle from stories, but he felt like he knew him. His dad liked to talk about his older brother, Andy. “It rubbed off on my dad, so that when he met Mom it was okay that she was a witch.”
“Okay?” Kali queried doubtfully. “Or he just got use to it?”
“Okay,” Mark replied immediately. He grinned as he added, “At least that’s how they tell us.”
“So why was he attacking you?” she asked, changing the topic back to Gary’s attack.
“Not a clue,” Mark admitted.
“He didn’t say anything before I showed up?” Kali asked puzzled.
“Nothing useful,” he retorted, bitter. “I mean he said, ‘I’m sorry.’ Odd for a demon.”
“He’s not a demon,” Kali protested, not sure if she was protesting for Gary’s sake or her own, but whichever it was, the certainty was there.
Mark gave her a look. “Kali, he threw fireballs at me. That’s demonic.”
“I know that,” Kali admitted. She frowned as something Gary said nagged at her memory. “I do know that and so do you, but Gary didn’t.”
“What?” he asked, well and truly confused.
“Before he left,” she told him in reflection, “Gary wanted to know why I wasn’t screaming witch. He didn’t know the power he was using was demonic.” She frowned some more trying to digest the idea. Finally, she looked at Mark. “I think I’d better call reinforcements.”
Mark scowled. “I don’t need help.”
“Oh, please,” Kali scoffed. “Unless his conscience stopped him, he was going to kill you before I arrived. You weren’t doing a good job a stopping him.” She looked at him questioningly. “What’s your power anyway?”
A bemused look on his face, Mark shook his head. “Levitation.” He steeled his face before he added. “I would have found a way to stop him.”
“Mark, the only reason he stopped when I entered the room was because I am his girlfriend,” Kali informed him. “I doubt that will do any good next time and I have no powers. You have powers, but they were not going to save you there.”
Mark scowled at her. “Where do you think you are going to find this help anyway?”
“I told you,” Kali reminded him. “I’m used to witches. I grew up with two brothers who are witches. I’ll call them. If they aren’t already busy with some other demonic problem, they’ll help.”
“Are you sure that they even can?” Mark asked, relenting a little, precious little. “Like you said, I wasn’t much use back then, and if he’s not a demon, you can’t vanquish him.”
Kali rolled her eyes. Anyone who doubted Wyatt and Chris was in for a surprise. She knew them. They could do this. “Yeah, I’m sure. Come on let’s go somewhere less public and I’ll call Wyatt and Chris.”
“My apartment work?” Mark asked, fully relenting this time.
Kali nodded. “Works for me.”
“Let’s go then.” Mark headed for the library door.
Kali followed behind him. In her mind she tried to figure out exactly how to tell her friends about this problem. It wasn’t exactly normal and they were going to think Gary was a demon, too. She was sure that Gary wasn’t.